Lost in Translation
How we run the research
Lost in Translation asks young people, employers and foundations the same questions, in the same words, to find where what's said and what's heard come apart. This page sets out how we do it, so you can judge the findings for yourself.
Who takes part
- Young people aged 18 to 30 in the UK. We aim to hear from 2,000.
- People who work at companies of any size, from owners to line managers. We aim to hear from 500.
- Foundations and charities that run programmes for young people. We aim to hear from 50.
How people are invited
It's an online survey that takes 5 to 8 minutes. We invite people through PRGRSS, foundations and charities, employers, events and social media. Each partner gets its own link, so we can see where answers come from.
What kind of sample this is
People choose to take part, so this is not a random sample of everyone in the UK. We say so in the report. Next to the findings we show who took part, by age, region, sector and organisation size, so you can see exactly who the results describe. We don't weight the results. Where a group is big enough, we compare it with others, for example small and large companies.
Same words, every group
The key questions go to all three groups word for word. For example: "When a boss says 'use your initiative', what do you think they mean?" So when the answers differ, it's a real difference, not a difference in wording. Each question has the same number in every group's results, so they line up.
How the questions were made
The questions are in plain English. We tested them with young people, employers and a youth foundation before launch, and changed them based on what they told us. Optional questions are marked. We'll publish the full questionnaire with the report.
Consent and confidentiality
Before the first question, everyone sees how their answers will be used and agrees to take part. Answers are confidential. Contact details are kept apart from answers. Results are only shown for groups of 10 people or more, and never with a person's or an organisation's name. Read the privacy notice.
Quality checks
Before we analyse anything, we take out test entries, the same person answering twice, and answers finished too fast to have been read. We say in the report how many we took out and why.
What every finding in the report shows
- The exact question, as people saw it.
- Who answered it.
- How many answered it.
- When the survey ran.
Percentages are rounded to whole numbers, so some won't add up to 100. Groups of fewer than 10 people aren't shown on their own. Written answers are grouped into themes, and quotes never carry names.
Independence
Sponsors and people who buy the report can suggest topics. PRGRSS decides the final questions, runs the analysis and writes the findings. Nobody who pays sees individual answers, and nobody who pays can change what we find.
Standards we follow
We follow the principles of the Market Research Society Code of Conduct and UK GDPR: people agree before they take part, answers stay confidential, and we're open about our methods and their limits.
When
The survey is open from 8 October 2026 to 8 April 2027. We publish the report once it closes.
Who runs it
PRGRSS, the trading name of Global Purpose UK Limited. Questions about the research: hello@thisisprgrss.com.