A brand new research has discovered that youngsters within the UK have the bottom ranges of happiness and life satisfaction in Europe.
The Good Childhood Report 2024 was compiled by Christian charity The Kids's Society, which stated it painted a “deeply worrying image” of how younger individuals within the UK really feel.
The report relies on findings from The Kids's Society's personal annual family survey in 2024 and an evaluation of knowledge from 27 European nations which might be a part of the OECD's Program for Worldwide Pupil Evaluation (PISA).
The report reveals {that a} quarter of 15-year-old college students within the UK (25.2%) reported low life satisfaction in 2022 – the most recent knowledge accessible – a a lot increased proportion than the typical of 16.6% for a similar age group within the latter group. 26 nations.
In distinction, solely 6.7% of Dutch youngsters reported low life satisfaction.
British ladies are considerably unhappier than their friends in different European nations. Virtually a 3rd (30.9%) of UK ladies aged 15 reported low life satisfaction, in comparison with only one in 5 (21.4%) of the identical age in Europe.
Between 2015 and 2022, the life satisfaction of each younger ladies and boys within the UK fell sooner than in different components of Europe – by 1.03 factors for women within the UK in comparison with 0.77 factors for women on common throughout Europe and 0.80 level for boys within the UK. to 0.41 factors for boys on common throughout Europe.
The UK has among the highest charges of meals poverty in Europe, with one in 10 15-year-olds (11%) skipping a meal at the least as soon as per week attributable to monetary pressures – placing the UK forward of solely Bulgaria, Romania and Lithuania.
British 10- to 17-year-olds from financially strapped households had been discovered to have decrease life satisfaction than their friends from wealthier households.
Commenting on the findings, Kids's Society Mark Russell stated “alarm bells are ringing”.
“British youngsters are dealing with a happiness recession, with 15-year-olds recording the bottom life satisfaction common of 27 European nations,” he stated.
“It's time for change, and we're decided to prepared the ground.”