TEENAGERS within the UK are less blissful than their European peers, a recent report by the Children’s Society suggests.
The charity’s mostly annual Good Childhood report, published on Thursday, says that one quarter of UK 15-year-olds report having low life satisfaction: almost nine percentage points higher than the common reported in 26 other European nations.
The report analyses data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which, in 2022, surveyed 700,000 15-year-olds, of whom 12,972 were from the UK. These findings are complemented with the outcomes of a survey of 2056 children and young people (aged ten to 17) conducted by the Children’s Society within the UK between April and June this 12 months.
The latter survey found that children who were living under conditions of monetary strain were more prone to report low life satisfaction.
Children were asked about nine different areas of life, including family, health, home, selection, and the long run. More children were unhappy about school (14 per cent) than any of the opposite areas.
In total, almost one third of 15-year-old girls reported being unhappy with their life, and the gap to their male counterparts is widening. Body image seemed to be one among the fundamental aspects: one in 4 girls reported that they were unhappy with their appearance, compared with nine per cent of boys. On average, girls were also less prone to be satisfied with family and college.
The chief executive of the Children’s Society, Mark Russell, said that “alarm bells are ringing”, and highlighted the link between mental well-being and socio-economic drawback.
The report says that the UK ranks fourth highest for food poverty amongst 21 European countries, behind Bulgaria, Romania, and Lithuania: 11 per cent of youngsters within the UK reported skipping at the very least one meal attributable to lack of cash within the month before completing the survey.
Despite the grim findings, Mr Russell said that the Children’s Society was not merely highlighting problems. He said: “We’re advocating for solutions. We have devised concrete steps to handle these national challenges. It’s time for change, and we’re committed to leading the best way.”
The report describes the change of Government within the UK as “a possibility to reset and refocus”, and called on the Government to “act on their manifesto’s recognition of the importance of youngsters’s well-being”.
In July, Mr Russell welcomed the brand new Government’s establishment of a Child Poverty Unit as a “good start”, but said that it was “clear that more decisive actions can be needed” (Comment, 26 July).
Mr Russell joined Church of England bishops within the House of Lords in calling on the brand new Government to scrap the two-child advantages cap — a policy which is reportedly under review (News, 25 July).
