Using a Cohort Survey to Track the Entry into Adult Life of Young People from Immigrant Backgrounds

Abstract

Many studies have shown the difficult situations in which young second-generation residents from North Africa live in France: Many of them have no qualifications and are unemployed or in precarious positions. However, few researchers have focused specifically on the issue of these inequalities in the transition to adulthood. We therefore developed a cohort study of young people growing up in the suburbs in order to show the link between social inequalities and the manner in which these youngsters become autonomous adults. The chapter describes and discusses this research project – which mixes quantitative data with qualitative interviews – illustrating, through a short presentation, the principal findings resulting from this survey.