‘Kids Today…’: Teenagers in England in 2017–18

This chapter outlines the data gathered from the Initial Survey, the first survey completed by study participants. It gives an overview of the demographic data collected on the participants, and briefly describes each of the ten groups who participated in the research. It then explores the information provided by the respondents on their consumption of film and television, exploring the range of genres favoured by the participants, which the chapter notes as indicative of their transitional life stage. It considers the ways in which the young participants use film and television texts in their life, with reference to ideas of moral panic and 'media effects' approaches to young people and the media. Following this, the chapter gives an overview of the participants' reported means of engaging with historical representations, and their political alignments. Finally, the chapter considers the young people's attitudes towards questions of representation as they pertain to the period drama genre, noting that many appear interested in issues-based politics, a feature that the chapter observes is consistent with broader characterisations of the political engagement of young people at the time the research was taking place.