Young people’s ideas about time and space

Suggesting that a focus on young people can be regarded as a kind of litmus test of the cultural processes operating in a society, this article looks at their ideas about time and space in the context of exploring the extent to which Ireland is a post late modern society. Drawing on a stratified one in ten random sample of approximately 34,000 texts written by 10-12 year olds and 15-17 year olds, the article explores the importance and meaning of the local, ideas about time (including generational positioning), adult concepts of time, spatial time, and ideas about the future. The method of analysis is both quantitative and qualitative, with variation being explored in terms of gender and age.