Research challenges ’ned culture’ stereotypes

A new study is challenging stereotypes around the youth subculture whose members are often labelled as 'neds' or 'chavs'. Researchers from the MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit at the University of Glasgow ed more than 3,000 15-year-olds in and around Glasgow for the study, published today in the British Sociological Association's journal Sociology. Their findings dispute a number of common perceptions about 'neds' and young people's feelings about the label. They found evidence that the labels, often thought to be derogatory, are being reclaimed as a sort of badge of pride by some young people, with 15% of ees willingly self-identifying as a 'ned' or 'chav'. More female ees claimed identification with the terms than male, with 17.4% of girls and 12.7% of boys reporting they considered themselves part of that group. Contrary to the stereotype of 'neds' or 'chavs' being exclusively from deprived backgrounds, the researchers found that around 13% of the young people they ed from more affluent or middle-class families unambiguously identified with the label 'ned', compared with 22% from less affluent or working class backgrounds. Robert Young of the MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, who led the project, said: "When we began the study, we were keen to find out if any young people would positively identify themselves with the term 'ned' or 'chav', which have been overwhelmingly used as terms of abuse for a particular section of society.