Young people in Cumbria are sporty, net-surfing, cinema-going socialisers according to new research for Cumbria County Council.

An extensive survey carried out for the county council, the county's Local Strategic Partnerships and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, saw researchers hold face-to-face interviews with more than 1,000 13 to 19-year-olds.

The survey was conducted to help the county council and the LSPs improve youth involvement and give young people a chance to have their say' in developing local services as part of the Building Communities for the Future programme.

Cumbria County Council and a number of other public bodies make a considerable investment in services to young people. But, until now, there has been no clear picture of young people's interests and social lives to inform policy and service delivery.

The research focused on young people's activities in a normal week and the results provide a glimpse of the lives lived by young people in the county. The results will be discussed at a special Rural Youth Workshop.

The survey found: l Almost half (48%) young people said they went to the cinema at least once a week.

l 49.2% said they visited a sports centre in the previous week.

l 42.6% said they visited friends three or more times a week.

l More than half went to a caf at least once in the previous week.

l More than three-quarters said they were not worried about pollution or the environment.

l Almost half said they thought recycling services in the county were either good or very good.

l 64.8% surfed the web at least once a week, 81.6% watch TV at least three times a week and three quarters had played computer games in the previous week.

l 57.6% went shopping at least once in the previous week.

l 17.3% worried about not having enough money to buy things.

l 18.3% had worried about bullying at school at some point in the last year.

l 55% said they had been hanging around the streets in the previous week.

l 63.4% said they thought library services in the county were either good or very good.

l 13% went to a youth club once a week.

l 33% said they attended a youth activity, usually sport, once a week.

l Two out of five respondents said there was nothing to do where they lived.

l Only 15.1% thought young people had adequate opportunities to express their views on public services.

l Only six per cent went to church once a week.

Coun Joan Stocker, county council cabinet member for education, said: "It can be hard to get really good information on what young people think and do. This research has thrown up some very interesting findings. The county council and LSPs will use the results to help deliver their services."