The O2 has unveiled new research which examines the link between music and live entertainment and mental health in young people aged 14-25 in the UK.
Published to coincide with World Mental Health Day (10 October), the research was inspired by the work of the venue’s official charity partner YoungMinds, which works in the area of children and young people’s mental health.
According to the research, the vast majority of young people agree that music (88%) and live events (83%) have a positive impact on their mood and wellbeing.
A fifth of young people (20%) stated that this positive impact on their mental health is what they enjoy most about attending live events, with over a quarter (27%) saying that their enjoyment comes from the opportunity to forget about everything else they have going on when attending live events.
Following the publication of this new research, The O2 has announced a new initiative to improve accessibility to live events for local youths in Greenwich. From December 2023 and throughout 2024, the venue has pledged to donate over 1,000 arena tickets to young people and their families, working alongside local charitable youth organisation YoungGreenwich. These tickets will span a range of event types taking place in The O2 arena over the next year, including music, comedy and sport.
Adam Pearson, commercial director at The O2, said: “When we announced YoungMinds as our official charity back in January, we knew that we wanted to use our position as a world-leading venue to drive real impact and change. This research highlights the undeniable link between live events and the positive impact they have on the mental health and wellbeing of young people, which presents us with a unique opportunity to really make a difference within our local community – something which has always been a huge priority for us. Working alongside the fantastic team at YoungGreenwich, we’re excited to be able to provide even more access to the best-in-class events that happen at The O2 arena over the next year.”
Michelle Kerrigan, head of relationship development at YoungMinds, said: “We are delighted to be chosen as the official charity partner of The O2 and welcome this research. We know that listening to music and live events have a hugely positive impact on young people’s mental health and this initiative means that 1,000 young people in Greenwich will have the opportunity to access events that they might otherwise not experience. We look forward to the venue’s continued support and to our future work together supporting young people’s mental health.”
