Polycrisis and Child Wellbeing: Future Avenues Across Europe

Abstract

Polycrisis, often defined as an interlinking set of crises that have impacted global affairs in complex ways, has affected all aspects of society with children being particularly vulnerable. The purpose of this article is to engage in a critical theoretical discussion on the inter-connectedness between polycrisis, child wellbeing, and policy-making across Europe. Growing Up in Digital Europe (GUIDE) is used as a case study of how micro-data collected in longitudinal studies can help address polycrisis. It is argued that continuous data collection on the wellbeing of children and young people helps support policy making across diverse areas related to children and families that aims to improve children and young people’s wellbeing. The article asserts that securing child wellbeing is a precursor to a range of positive outcomes in adulthood, which can then prevent and/ or better manage a host of related crises.

Key Words: Children, Europe, GUIDE, Policy, Polycrisis, Research, Wellbeing