The everyday life of 11-year-olds with a non-Danish ethnic background

The report looks into how the everyday life of 11-year-olds with a non-Danish ethnic background differs from that of their Danish peers. The lives of these children are compared, focusing on areas such as family background, schooling, spare time and health.
There are significant differences in the family backgrounds of these children. Children with a non-Danish ethnic background generally live with families with weaker socio-economic resources than children with a Danish background. For example, parents are less likely to have completed a vocational education programme, and they are often unemployed.
There are also significant differences with regard to what the children do in their spare time. Children with a non-Danish ethnic background participate significantly less in organised after-school activities, and consequently they generally have less contact with adults in their spare time compared to children with a Danish background.
Children with a non-Danish ethnic background are generally more autonomous with regard to bedtime on school nights and how much time they spend on homework compared to children with a Danish background. In general they get more pocket money than children with a Danish background. However they are also required to pay for their own mobile phone, clothes and gifts to a greater degree than their Danish peers.