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Friendly or boring, remote or safe – these are some of the conflicting descriptions of life in the Highlands and Islands provided by young people taking part in a major on-line survey.

Thousands of people aged between 15 and 30 are being urged to fill out the 10-minute survey at www.youthmigration.org in an effort to improve the attractiveness of the region for their age group.

Participants have a chance of winning tickets to Belladrum Tartan Hearts Festival in August, or one of 25 Amazon vouchers each worth £20. The survey closes on July 28.

Designed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to glean opinions on what makes young people want to leave the region, or stay, or come here from elsewhere, the survey is already producing some interesting views.

Catherine MacNeil, HIE's senior research manager said: "We would like as many people as possible in this age group, wherever they live, to spare 10 minutes to fill it in. If people are over 30, we'd be grateful if they would encourage younger acquaintances or family members to log-on and give us their opinion on the region. A high representation of views will provide solid evidence upon which policies can be based."

To take part click on www.youthmigration.org