youth index

The Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth Index

Supported by

Acknowledgements

The Prince’s Trust would like to thank the Macquarie Group Foundation for funding this report.

We would also like to thank YouGov for carrying out the research.

Supported by



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Foreword

Ginny LunnDirector of Policy and Development, The Prince’s Trust

In our first index, interviews with more than 2,000 young people showed that - while most were happy with their lives - a significant number felt stressed and depressed a lot of the time. Tragically, for some, life had little or no purpose.

A year later, The Trust’s second Youth Index examined not only the happiness and confidence of a younger generation as a whole, but the growing number of young people not in education employment or training (NEET). As casualties of the recession, many had moved on from school, college and even university to find themselves in one of the toughest job markets for decades.

This year, The Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth Index reveals that most young people are happy with most aspects of their life. However, the index number is also at its lowest point since the study was launched, with the most significant decline around young people's emotional health.

Whilst our joint report sheds further light on the changing happiness and wellbeing of a generation of young people, a consistent pattern transcends all three reports: young people who are not in work, education or training are increasingly more likely to face a lifetime of poorer health and lower happiness.

Failing to step in and help these young people now will only store up big problems for our country’s future.

This is our third annual Youth Index, gauging the happiness of young people across a range of areas from family life to physical and emotional health.


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Introduction

Julie WhiteGlobal Head, Macquarie Group Foundation

This report highlights how being NEET – not in education employment or training - can impact on a young person’s happiness and mental health.

Alarmingly, almost half of unemployed young people claim that joblessness has caused mental health problems such as self harm, panic attacks and insomnia.

For a significant number, being out of work has caused feelings of self-loathing and inferiority, while others admit to drinking excessively or taking drugs.

For many young people, unemployment goes hand in hand with emotional stress, presenting a very real and frightening mental health hazard for those who are out of work. And the longer they are jobless, the greater the risk.

The findings are equally bleak for young people with few or no qualifications, suggesting that they are destined to be significantly less happy than their peers after leaving school.

The Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth Index shows that The Trust’s work with disadvantaged young people is more important than ever – helping the unemployed into jobs, supporting those who are struggling at school and providing positive role models to help the young and vulnerable get their lives back on track.

More than three-quarters of the 40,000 young people supported by The Prince’s Trust last year moved into work, education or training. This success rate speaks volumes about the importance of second chances and believing in young people.

Macquarie is proud to be supporting the youth charity’s continued drive to improve the life chances of vulnerable young people. Without the kind of support offered by The Prince’s Trust, many will live out their lives never knowing what it feels like to achieve their true potential.

Only with ongoing support can The Prince’s Trust continue to help tens of thousands of young people transform their lives every year.

Exhausted, disillusioned and degraded. These are three of many words reflecting the frustration and despair of some of the unemployed young people taking part in The Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth Index.


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Executive SummaryThe Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth Index reveals the youth charity's third annual index number at its lowest point since the study was launched, with the most significant decline around young people's emotional health.

Key findings:

k� The overall Youth Index number has declined from 73 in both its first and second years to 71 in 2010

k� Overall, young people’s happiness has fallen to its lowest number of 70 in 2010

k� Young people’s confidence has also fallen - from an overall score of 74 in 2008 to 71 in 2010

NEETS – young people not in education, employment or training

The Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth Index shows how young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs) are significantly less happy across all areas of their lives with reports of increased mental health problems due to unemployment.

Key findings:

k� Almost half of young people not in work (48 per cent) claim that unemployment has caused problems including self harm, insomnia, self loathing and panic attacks

k� Young people are twice as likely to self harm or suffer panic attacks a year into unemployment

k� Around one in six young people (16 per cent) have found unemployment as stressful as a family breakdown, while more than one in ten (12 per cent) claim their joblessness has given them nightmares

k� Young people who are not in education employment or training (NEETs) are almost twice as likely as those in work or education to lack a sense of belonging in life

k� More than a third of NEETs (37 per cent) lack a sense of identity. This rises to nearly half (47 per cent) of those out of work a year or longer

k� More than a third of unemployed young people (34 per cent) feel isolated all or most of the time, increasing to 45 per cent for those who have been out of work for a year or longer

k� Half of young people seeking work (50 per cent) say that visiting the job centre makes them feel ashamed

Youth Index respondentsA sample of 2,170 16-to-25-year-olds took part in the online poll conducted by YouGov on behalf of The Prince’s Trust, in November 2010.

The data has been weighted according to age, gender and region, to be representative of all UK 16-to-25-year-olds.

Of the sample, 340 respondents were not in education employment or training (NEETs).

Background

This is the third year YouGov has run an annual index of the happiness and wellbeing of young people within the UK on behalf of The Prince’s Trust. This report covers the third iteration of this study, with a specific focus on tracking the changes in young people’s happiness and confidence over this time period.In addition to indexing the happiness and wellbeing of young people, the report explores some significant demographic differences between young people. They include a comparison between:

k� those not in education employment or training with their peers

k� those without a positive role model of their gender in their lives (women without a positive female role model and men without a positive male role model) and their peers

k��those with fewer than five GCSEs graded A* to C (or equivalent) with their peers

Respondents are asked how happy and confident they are in different areas of their life. The responses are converted to a numerical scale, resulting in a number out of 100 – with 100 representing entirely happy or confident and zero being not at all happy or confident.


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k� More than half of unemployed young people said that job searching had left them feeling disillusioned (55 per cent) or desperate (54 per cent)

Young people without a role model of the same gender in their lives

The Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth Index shows that more than one in four young people (27 per cent) claim that they do not have a positive role model in their life. Those without positive role models are significantly less happy with all areas of their life.

Key findings:

k��More than two in five (42 per cent) suffer from self loathing, 45 per cent “regularly” feel inferior to others, whilst almost a third (31 per cent) feel insecure “all” or “most” of the time

k� Young men without positive male role models are three times more likely than their peers with male role models to lack a sense of belonging. They are also significantly less likely to feel happy and confident than those with male role models. They are three times more likely to feel down or depressed all of the time and significantly more likely to admit they can’t remember the last time they felt proud. More than one in three (36 per cent) say they lack a sense of identity

k��One in five (20 per cent) of young women with a female role model in their lives feel anxious “all” or “most” of the time compared with 34 per cent of female peers without female role models in their lives. Almost one in four (23 per cent) feel rejected “all” or “most” of the time compared with 11 per cent of their peers

k��One in five NEETS without a role model (21 per cent) have never had a job - full or part time - compared with 14 per cent of their peers

k�� Young people without a role model are significantly more likely to stay unemployed for longer

Young people with fewer than five GCSEs graded A* to C (or equivalent)

The Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth Index found that young people with fewer than five GCSEs graded A* to C (or equivalent) are twice as likely as those better qualified to feel anxious all or most of the time (38 per cent compared with 19 per cent) and down or depressed (34 per cent compared with 17 per cent).

Key findings:

k� Less than half (48 per cent) of young people with fewer than five GCSEs graded A* to C (or equivalent) feel they have a sense of belonging in life

k� Forty per cent feel they lack a sense of identity compared with just one in four of those with qualifications

k��They are significantly more likely to feel isolated when compared with those better qualified - 32 per cent feeling so compared with 17 per cent of their peers

k��They are more than twice as likely to feel rejected all or most of the time (27 per cent) compared to better qualified peers (12 per cent) and nearly four times more likely to never feel confident

k��More than half (53 per cent) feel their family respects them – 20 percentage points lower than those with five or more GCSEs (73 per cent)

Young people admitting to having ever felt suicidal

The Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth Index found that the number of young people who claim to have ever felt suicidal has increased from one in four (25 per cent) to more than a third (34 per cent) since The Prince’s Trust’s last youth index report in 2009.1

Key findings:

k� Thirty one per cent of young men and 37 per cent of young women claim to have felt suicidal, compared to 22 per cent of young men and 27 per cent of young women in 2009

k� More than two in five of those not in work, education or training (41 per cent) say they have felt suicidal, compared with 33 per cent of their peers in employment, education or training

k� Young people unemployed for longer amounts of time were significantly more likely to admit they have felt suicidal. Nearly six in ten young people unemployed for a year or more (58 per cent) said that they have felt suicidal, compared with almost four in ten (39 per cent) who had been unemployed for between six and 12 months and 29 per cent who had been unemployed for up to six months

k� Half (50 per cent) of young women who do not have a positive female role model in their lives have ever felt suicidal and 38 per cent of young men without a male role model say they have ever felt suicidal

k� Young people with fewer than five GCSEs graded A* to C (or equivalent) are even more likely to have felt suicidal than those without positive role models – 48 per cent having done so compared with 33 per cent of those with qualifications

1 It is acknowledged that the figures on feeling suicidal could be inflated due to over claiming – respondents saying they felt suicidal but in reality felt other emotions. We do not know what effect, if any, this has had on but even so the figures indicate a cause for concern


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The Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth IndexThe Youth Index measures how young people feel about the state of their lives today and how confident they are about their future.

Respondents were asked how happy or unhappy they felt about different aspects of their lives, from family and friends to money and health. They were also asked how confident they were about their future.

The responses in the index are converted to a numerical scale, from one to seven. From this, a percentage is calculated to present a young person’s happiness and confidence as a number out of 100, where 100 is entirely happy or confident and zero is not at all happy or confident.

Figure 1 shows that the overall Youth Index number has gone from 73 in its first year to 73 in its second to 71 in 2010.

Figure 1: The overall Youth Index

2008 2009 2010

Happiness Confidence Happiness Confidence Happiness Confidence

Work / education 71 71 70 70 68 67

Home / accommodation

76 76 76 75 76 73

Community / local area

69 70 69 69 68 68

Family relationships 79 81 81 82 78 78

Relationships with friends

77 79 78 78 75 75

Money 56 67 56 66 57 65

Qualifications 79 79 77 76 76 75

Physical health 69 74 71 74 68 72

Emotional health 67 73 70 71 67 68

Total Index score 71 74 72 74 70 71

Overall Index number 73 73 71

All young people 2010: (2,170), 2009: (2,088), 2008: (2,004).

Changes in wellbeing over time

HappinessOverall, young people’s happiness rose between 2008 and 2009 (from 71 to 72 on the overall index) and has since fallen to its lowest number of 70 in 2010.

Figure 2: Changes in happiness over time

2008 2009 2010

Work / education 71 x 70 x 68

Home / accommodation 76 - 76 - 76

Community / local area 69 - 69 x 68

Family relationships 79 W 81 x 78

Relationships with friends 77 W 78 x 75

Money 56 - 56 W 57

Qualifications 79 x 77 W 76

Physical health 69 W 71 x 68

Emotional health 67 W 70 x 67

Overall Index number 71 W 72 x 70

All young people 2010: (2,170), 2009: (2,088), 2008: (2,004)

In 2010, most areas covered in the table fell to below 2008 levels. Money increased by one point, emotional health equalled the 2008 level at 67 points, and home/accommodation has remained consistent at 76 points.

Young people’s happiness towards their friendships have fallen the furthest below 2008 levels. Happiness towards friendships rose from 77 in 2008 to 78 in 2009, but now falls down to 75. Young people’s happiness towards their community and local area also dropped by one point.

Happiness surrounding relationships with family as well as physical and emotional health fell by three points on the index between 2009 and 2010.

Happiness towards work and education has fallen slightly year on year, from having an index score of 71 in 2008 to 68 in 2010. The same is true also of qualifications which have also fallen three points from 79 in 2008 to 76 in 2010.


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ConfidencePart two of the index looks at how confident young people are about the future.

Figure 3 shows the changes in confidence scores from 2008 to 2010. Confidence, unlike happiness, has had a decline over the past three years. This falls from an overall score of 74 in 2008 to 71 in 2010.

Figure 3: Changes in confidence over time

2008 2009 2010

Work / education 71 x 70 x 67

Home / accommodation 76 x 75 x 73

Community / local area 70 x 69 x 68

Family relationships 81 W 82 x 78

Relationships with friends 79 x 78 x 75

Money 67 x 66 x 65

Qualifications 79 x 76 x 75

Physical health 74 - 74 x 72

Emotional health 73 x 71 x 68

Overall Index number 74 - 74 x 71

All young people 2010: (2,170), 2009: (2,088), 2008: (2,004)

The largest fall in confidence scores is for emotional health, which has declined from 73 in 2008 to 68 in 2010. Money, which has one of the largest gaps between confidence and happiness in 2010 has also been subject to falls although at a more consistent pace than most, with a one point fall between each of the three years.

If the trends in confidence continue as they have been since 2008, 2011 could see a further loss of confidence among young people as to how their future will unfold.

Differences between personal circumstancesDifferences in happiness levels can be found when looking at the personal circumstances of young people.

Figure 4 shows the difference in the happiness index scores according to whether young people are NEET (not in education, employment or training), whether they have a positive role model of their gender in their lives and whether or not they have five GCSEs graded A* to C (or equivalent).The sample size for each group appears in brackets.

Figure 4: Happiness scores of wellbeing index, by employment, role model and education status

7162

7365

7261

0 20 40 60 80 100%

NEET (1,735)

In education, employment or training (340)

No positive role model (682)

Positive role model (1,285)

Fewer than five GCSEs grade A* to C (222)

Five or more GCSEs grade A* to C (1,910)

Total Index Score (2,170) 70

There are clear differences in the extent to which young people are happy with their lives depending on their circumstances. The largest gap is for those young people who are NEET, rating their happiness at 61 compared with a score of 72 for those who are in not in education employment or training.


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NEETSThe differences in happiness and confidence between those young people who are NEET and those who are in education, employment or training can be seen in Figure 5 below.

Figure 5: Wellbeing index by education, employment and training status

Happiness Confidence

Not in education,

employment or training

In education, employment or training

Not In education,

employment or training

In education, employment or training

Work / education 46 73 54 70

Home / accommodation 70 77 68 74

Community / local area 63 69 63 70

Family relationships 73 79 73 79

Relationships with friends 68 77 70 77

Money 43 60 54 67

Qualifications 66 79 64 77

Physical health 63 69 66 73

Emotional health 58 69 61 69

Overall Index number 61 72 64 73

All those in education, employment and training (1,735), all NEETs (340)

It is perhaps not surprising that there is a significant difference in the happiness young people have with their work or education – with NEETs only scoring 46 in this measure, 27 points below that of those who are employed or in training. This gap closes a little when looking at confidence in the future, however, with only a 16 point difference implying that NEET young people are confident about their future (their confidence is eight points higher than their currently happiness) and that those currently in work or education are concerned for their futures (a three point drop here).

Other areas of the index related to work/education also show large gaps between NEET young people and those in work, education or training. Money has a 17 point difference in the happiness of young people and qualifications 13 points. There is a 13 point difference in both the happiness and confidence scores of these groups with regard to qualifications.

The length of time a young person is unemployed has a negative impact on the index generally, with scores dropping from 64 amongst those who have been unemployed for less than six months, to 61 for those unemployed for between 6 months and a year, to 56 for those unemployed for a year or more.

Figure 6: Happiness aspects of wellbeing index by length of time unemployed

Length of time unemployed

Less than six months Six months to a year More than a year

Work / education 47 43 45

Home / accommodation 74 73 64

Community / local area 67 65 56

Family relationships 74 75 69

Relationships with friends 72 70 62

Money 40 44 45

Qualifications 72 63 59

Physical health 66 62 60

Emotional health 60 59 54

Overall Index number 64 61 56

All those unemployed less than six months (166), between six months and a year (52) and more than a year (122)

Employment and identityThe report shows that one quarter (26 per cent) of all young people feel they lack a sense of identity. More than a third of young people not in education, employment or training (37 per cent) say they lack a sense of identity, rising to 45 per cent amongst those who have been out of work a year or longer. Only 24 per cent of those in education, employment or training, feel they lack a sense of identity.

Young people within employment were asked the extent to which they agreed that a job is both part of their identity and whether it has helped them to build their personality.


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Differences in health and wellbeing Young people who are NEET are significantly more likely to feel negatively about most aspects of their health and wellbeing when compared with those young people in employment and education.

The difference in emotional health between young people who are not in employment, education or training and their peers is at 10 points, with those not in education, employment and training less happy and less confident.

Young people were asked to indicate how strongly they agreed or disagreed with a set of statements relating to their emotional wellbeing. Figure 7 shows the differences between NEETs and those in work, education or training.

Figure 7: Differences in emotional wellbeing, depending on whether young people are in work or education.

0 20 40 60 80 100%

I often lose track of what day it is

I lack from a sense of identity

I suffer from insomnia

I often feel under the weather

I have felt suicidal

I suffer from self loathing

I have a sense of belonging in life

I have abnormal eating patterns

I sometimes don't leave the house for weeks

I have a strong support network around me

I feel that my family respect me55

7673

5567

70

5324

31

443637

4459

62

423132

4133

31

4032

29

3826

28

3725

23

3423

21

NEET Employment Education

All in employment (680), education (1,018) and NEET (340)

Some of the largest differences between those young people who are NEET and those in education, employment or training are around their family and support. For example, only 55 per cent of NEET young people feel as though their family respects them compared with 76 per cent of those in employment and 73 per cent in education. In addition, twice as many NEET young people agree that they will quite often not leave the house for weeks (53 per cent agreeing compared with 24 per cent of those in employment). Forty per cent of NEETs often feel under the weather and 38 per cent suffer from insomnia.

More than two in five NEET young people (41 per cent) have ever felt suicidal compared with 33 per cent of their peers in employment, education or training.

The index shows that number of young people who claim to have ever felt suicidal has increased from one in four (25 per cent) in 2009 to more than a third (34 per cent) in 2010 - 31 per cent of young men and 37 per cent of young women claim to have felt suicidal in the latest index, compared to 22 per cent of young men and 27 per cent of young women in 2009.

Young people unemployed for longer amounts of time were significantly more likely to admit they have felt suicidal. Nearly six in ten young people unemployed for a year or more (58 per cent) said that they have felt suicidal, compared to just under four in ten (39 per cent) who had been unemployed for between six and 12 months1 and 29 per cent who had been unemployed for up to six months.

The findings also show that NEETs are almost twice as likely as those in work or education to lack a sense of belonging in life. More than a third of NEETs (37 per cent) lack a sense of identity - rising to nearly half (45 per cent) of those out of work a year or longer.

Figure 8 (page 20) shows how there is a general sense of optimism within young people – albeit with some significant undercurrents of worry. Positive emotions rank highest – 51 per cent of young people stating they feel happy most or all of the time, 47 per cent content and 35 per cent confident.

However, negative emotions are also felt by large proportions of young people - the highest ranking being that of insecurity, reported by 25 per cent of young people.

1 Base size of young people unemployed for 6 to 12 months was 52


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Figure 8: How often would you say you feel... (all responding “all” or “most” of the time)

22

292122

1938

35

3416

19

2612

14

2752

47

3323

25

2010

12

13

3455

51

3415

19

3019

21

89

1214

NEET

In education employment or training

All young people

0 10 20 30 40 50 60%

Under the weather

Lethargic

Confident

Isolated

Rejected

Content

Insecure

Sad (like crying)

Angry (like losing my temper)

Happy

Down or depressed

Anxious

All young people: (2,170), all in education, employment or training: (1,735), All not in education employment or training: (340).

Figure 9 shows that a third (34 per cent) of NEETs feel down or depressed most or all of the time, rising to 42 per cent for those who have been out of work for a year or longer. This compares with 15 per cent of those in education and 17 per cent of those in employment. Also, one third (34 per cent) of NEETs feel isolated, rising to 45 per cent for those unemployed for over 1 year. This compares with 16 per cent of both those in education and employment.


Unemployed for less than six months

Unemployed for more than six months

Unemployed for more than a year

0 10 20 30 40 50%

Under the weather

Lethargic

Confident

Isolated

Rejected

Content

Insecure

Sad (like crying)


Happy

Down or depressed

Anxious43

3022

4234

28

2631

40

213

10

29

452727

2724

27

2922

26

4534

27

1223

3433

25

2922

17

23

1815

All young people unemployed for longer than 1 year: (122), 6 months to 1 year: (52), less than 1 year (166).


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Unemployment and young peopleOne of the biggest factors of happiness in any adult’s life is employment and young people are no different. The Office for National Statistics reported in December 2010 that the number of 16-to-24-year-olds out of work had increased by 28,000 in the quarter to October to 943,000 - one of the highest figures since records began in 1992, giving a jobless rate of 19.8 per cent.

Of the young people who are currently not in education, employment or training within our sample, 35 per cent have been unemployed for more than a year, 15 per cent for between six months and a year and 50 per cent for less than six months.

Effects on young peopleYoung people who are currently unemployed were asked what impact unemployment has had on them.

Figure 10: Which, if any of the following have you felt / done as a direct result of being unemployed?

134

1927

636

103

60 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40%

I drink large amounts of alcohol

I have used illegal drugsor prescription drugs not meant for me

I have had difficulty controlling my anger

I regularly feel inferior to others

I suffer from panic attacks

I suffer from self loathing (disliking yourself)

I suffer from insomnia (trouble sleeping)

I have self-harmed

I have felt suicidal

All young people currently unemployed 340

In total, the research has shown that almost half of all unemployed young people (48 per cent) report some potentially negative mental health problem as a direct result of their unemployment including panic attacks, self loathing, self harm, insomnia and substance misuse.

More than one third (36 per cent) reported regularly feeling inferior to others as a direct result of their unemployment. More than one quarter (27 per cent) of young people suffer from self loathing due to their unemployment.

The research also shows how young people are twice as likely to self harm or suffer panic attacks a year into unemployment.

Figure 11 shows some more ways in which young people have been affected by their unemployment.

Figure 11: Which, if any of the following have you felt / done as a direct result of being unemployed?

274

1219

1620

60 5 10 15 20 25 30%

I have turned to crime or thought aboutturning to crime due to being unemployed

I have been laughed at by my friendsor family for not having a job

I find unemployment as stressful asa family breakdown e.g. a parent's

divorce or separation

I find unemployment as stressfulas breaking up with a partner

I have experienced nightmares

I have experienced homelessness

I have gone more than a weekwithout leaving the house

All young people currently unemployed 340


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In total, 27 per cent of young people have gone more than a week without leaving their house as a result of their unemployment. Stress is also a big factor, with 19 per cent finding unemployment as stressful as breaking up with a partner and 16 per cent as a family breakdown. Twenty per cent report having been mocked by their friends or family for not having a job which may contribute to the lack of confidence reported upon earlier. More than one in ten (12 per cent) claim their joblessness has given them nightmares.

Searching for a job Searching for jobs can be a time consuming, exhausting and emotionally draining exercise, as young people have reported in Figure 12.

Figure 12: Which, if any, of the following have you felt while searching for a job?

6059

5554

4940

3834

0 10 20 30 40 50 60%

Degraded

Hopeful

Excited about the possiblejobs I could do

Exhausted

Desperate

Disillusioned

Rejected

Like giving up

All NEET young people actively looking for work (245)

A large proportion of unemployed young people (60 per cent) feel like giving up. Almost the same proportion (59 per cent) feel rejected, disillusioned (55 per cent) and desperate (54 per cent). Two fifths of young people however feel excited about the possible jobs they could do (40 per cent) and feel hopeful (38 per cent).

Those who have been unemployed for fewer than six months are significantly more likely to feel hopeful – 45 per cent feeling so compared with just 30 per cent of those who have been unemployed for a year or longer.

Half of young people (50 per cent) admit to feeling ashamed when visiting the job centre.

Young people without role modelsYoung people with no role models of the same gender in their lives score a total of 65 in the wellbeing index compared with a score of 74 for young people with these role models.

Figure 13 shows that young people’s happiness and confidence both seem to be affected by the addition of a role model of the same gender.

Figure 13: Youth Index happiness and confidence scores by role model status


Positive role

modelNo positive role model

Positive role model

No positive role model






Money 59 53 67 61




Total Index score 73 65 74 66

All young people with a positive role model of their gender: (1,285), all young people without: (682).


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Young people without a positive role model of their gender are again, like NEETs, significantly more likely to feel negatively about themselves and their wellbeing. Figure 13 shows a nine point difference between those with a positive role model (achieving an index score of 70) and those without (61) with regards to the happiness score for emotional health.

Figure 14 shows that 27 per cent of young people without a positive role model of their gender in their lives feel isolated most or all of the time compared with 14 per cent of those with a positive role model. They are also more likely to feel anxious, 27 per cent doing so some or all of them time (compared with 18 per cent of those with positive role models) and less likely to feel happy – 57 per cent feeling happy rarely or sometimes compared with 37 per cent.


Doesn't have a positive role model

Has a positive role model

1827

1524

6038

710

916

2131

5536

1119

1427

3926

2027

1118

0 10 20 30 40 50 60%

Under the weather

Lethargic

Confident

Isolated

Rejected

Content

Insecure

Sad (like crying)


Happy

Down or depressed

Anxious

All young people with a positive role model of their gender: (1,285), all young people without: (682).

The research found that young people without a positive role model are more than twice as likely to lack a sense of belonging in comparison to those with positive role models (21 per cent and 10 per cent respectively). In addition to this, 42 per cent suffer from a sense of self loathing in comparison to 30 per cent of those with positive role models and 45 per cent regularly feel inferior to others compared with 36 per cent of those with positive role models.

The story continues with regards to the health of young people without a positive role model of their own gender. With regards to physical health, 42 per cent do not exercise regularly compared with 33 per cent of those with positive role models. Worryingly, more than two-fifths of young people without positive role models have felt suicidal (42 per cent).

There is a strong link between those who are unemployed and those who have a positive role model in their life. Generally, 27 per cent of young people do not have any positive role model in their lives. This rises to 36 per cent amongst those young people who are unemployed and 45 per cent amongst those who have been unemployed for one year or longer.

Young people with fewer than five GCSEs grade A* to C (or equivalent)The figure on page 28 (Figure 15) shows that young people with fewer than five GCSEs grade A* to C (or equivalent) have a lower happiness score in the index (achieving a score of 62) in comparison to those with more than five GCSE grades A*-C (71).


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Figure 15: Happiness scores of wellbeing index by education status


Less than 5

GCSEs5 or more

GCSEsLess than 5

GCSEs5 or more

GCSEs






Money 48 58 57 66




Total Index score 62 71 64 72

All young people with fewer than 5 GCSEs (222), all young people with 5 or more GCSEs (1,910).

The report found that almost half (48 per cent) of young people with fewer than five GCSEs graded A* to C (or equivalent) feel they have a sense of belonging in life, 11 percentage points lower than those more qualified. In addition, 40 per cent feel they lack a sense of identity compared with just one in four of those with qualifications.

External support is also lacking amongst this group, with just 53 per cent feeling their family respects them – 20 percentage points lower than those with five or more GCSEs (73 per cent).

This group are even more likely to have felt suicidal than those without positive role models – 48 per cent having done so compared with 33 per cent of those with qualifications.

Figure 16 (below) shows that young people with fewer than five GCSEs graded A* to C are also significantly more likely to feel isolated when compared with those better qualified - 32 per cent feeling so compared with 17 per cent. They are also twice as likely as those better qualified than themselves to feel anxious all or most of the time (38 per cent compared with 19 per cent) and down or depressed (34 per cent compared with 17). Lastly they are more than twice as likely to feel rejected all or most of the time (27 per cent doing so compared with just 12 per cent amongst better qualified young people) and nearly four times more likely to never feel confident (11 per cent compared with just three).


Five or more GCSEs graded A* to C

None or less than five GCSEs graded A* to C

3819

3417

3653

237

2810

3723

2949

2712

3217

2536

2922

2912

0 10 20 30 40 50 60%

Under the weather

Lethargic

Confident

Isolated

Rejected

Content

Insecure

Sad (like crying)


Happy

Down or depressed

Anxious

There is a link between those young people with less than five GCSEs graded A* to C and unemployment. More than a third of those young people with less than five GCSEs are not in education, employment or training, with 61 per cent of these NEET young people being out of work for a year or more.

All young people with fewer than 5 GCSEs (222), all young people with 5 or more GCSEs (1,910).


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CASE STUDYHolly LissimoreTwenty-year-old Holly Lissimore from Hull had been on benefits for over a year before The Prince’s Trust helped her find a job.

After applying for over 500 jobs Holly’s confidence was at rock bottom and she was very depressed. She says: “being on benefits was horrible. It’s the boredom that gets you. I would just be at home all day, tearing my hair out. Being unemployed was my lowest point all I wanted to do was be able to pay my own bills without relying on the government.”

“I couldn’t sleep at night and would lie in bed during the day. I started to give up on myself. I would see jobs and think ‘I’ll never get that’ so I wouldn’t even apply. I thought about going on anti-depressants but I’ve never been the kind of person that couldn’t pull myself out of something.”

Whilst looking for jobs in the care sector, Holly came across a poster advertising the Get into Health and Social Care programme, run with Age UK and contacted The Prince’s Trust. When she was offered a place on the six-week programme she was over the moon and even cried as she was so happy.

She said: “As soon as I started the course I began to feel more motivated, seeing that there were other young people in the same boat as me really helped.”

Over the course of the six weeks, Holly learnt the basics of working in care and it gave her the confidence to apply for jobs in that industry.

During the programme, the group visited a care home. After speaking to the manager Holly was encouraged to apply for the full time, permanent position of Domiciliary Care Worker they were advertising for. Holly completed the application form, attended an interview and in the final week of the programme was given the news that she had been successful.

Holly says, “Without the opportunity The Prince’s Trust gave me, I would still be bored, sat at home with no self confidence. Not only has the course given me a self realisation that anybody has the potential to do the things you dream of; I feel excited and more positive about what the future holds.”

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The Prince’s TrustThe Prince’s Trust runs a range of programmes to support disadvantaged young people into work, training and education. The charity focuses on young people who have struggled at school, are long-term unemployed, are in or leaving care and those who have been in trouble with the law.

More than three in four young people helped by The Trust move into work, training or education. Last year, The Prince’s Trust helped more than 44,000 young people.

For more information, visit princes-trust.org.uk

The Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth IndexThe Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth Index

3332

The Prince's Trust18 Park Square EastLondon NW1 4LHTel 020 7543 1234Email [email protected]

DSN 1248 © The Prince’s Trust 2010 - all rights reserved.The Prince’s Trust is a registered charity, incorporated by Royal Charter, in England and Wales (1079675) and Scotland (SC041198).


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