The History of the Hungarian Large Sample Youth Survey

Abstract

In this paper I would like to summarize the last two decades of this major research program, which was launched in 2000. In the history of youth research in Hungary following the transition to democracy, the Hungarian large sample youth survey is one of, if not the most, important research program seeking to provide a detailed picture of 15–29-year-olds by regularly collecting data every four years. The last round of surveys was conducted in 2020. It is worthwhile to summarize the findings and experiences since the launch of this research program with respect to a given aspect as so far, this has only been done in part. In this paper on the history of the Hungarian large sample youth survey, I review the history of youth research in Hungary; in general terms, I will provide a chronology of sorts on the most important research and organizations in this field in the period before the fall of communism. I want to deal with the relationship between the empirical results of the large sample youth survey and the discourses on youth theory to present the major theoretical approaches that the large sample youth survey has been instrumental in developing or empirically testing, and to draw attention to the role of the research program in academic thinking regarding youth. In my study, I will present the history of the research series with a thematic and methodological focus, including the circumstances of the research organization. I want to show how it has evolved and what has remained constant over the past two decades. I also aim to evaluate the research series, i.e. to take stock of its strengths and weaknesses and to look at future directions for improvement.