The 2023 Good Childhood Report is the twelfth annual instalment from The Children’s Society. The survey focuses on the well being of children, asking questions on happiness, health, school, friends and many more factors that may influence how they are feeling. The new report finds children’s health and happiness declining and highlights increasing issues for young people struggling in the cost of living crisis.
The study uses 2020-21 data from Understanding Society, as well as The Children’s Society household survey, and Good Childhood consultations, giving a wide range of information from key sources around the UK. Understanding Society data has allowed the study to report on changes over time for young people. The results of these trends come from surveying the same young people in the most recent survey (2020-21) and comparing it to the findings from the first survey they took part in (2009-10). Overall, this found that happiness with life as a whole, friends, appearance and education had decreased, but happiness with family stayed the same.
The Children’s Society said, “Historical data on children’s wellbeing across all waves of Understanding Society also indicate that it is not the same children who score low across the six measures included within this survey. Further analysis highlights the importance of family relationships, particularly of children and young people feeling supported by their family, and an increased likelihood of low wellbeing in relation to school among children in families who are struggling financially.”
Key findings
- A significant majority (74%) of surveyed children held positive outlooks about their personal futures. However, less than 40% had positive views about the future of their country and the world at large.
- School-related concerns were prominent, with 14.5% of surveyed children aged 10 to 17 reporting unhappiness with their school experiences, marking the highest dissatisfaction among the ten aspects of life assessed.
- Children who worried about their family’s financial situation were more prone to unhappiness across various life aspects, including home life, finances, possessions, and personal choices.
- Concerns about having enough money, finding employment, and achieving good grades were top worries among children and young people regarding their future.
- When assessing societal issues, rising prices and environmental concerns were the most common worries among the surveyed children.
Responding to these findings, The Children’s Society comment, “The Children’s Society’s findings show that children’s happiness with their lives has declined. Alongside these, over the past year several reports have highlighted a deterioration in children and young people’s mental health, with waiting times and thresholds for accessing care increasing. There are also reports of children’s physical health declining, as the increased cost of living forces children to go hungry and eat less nutritious food. The children’s sector is in agreement that more must be done to prevent problems from arising in the first place. Prevention stops children from needing more intensive support later on, promotes good wellbeing in the short- and long-term, and reduces the pressures on services.”
Read the Good Childhood Report
Family and householdsYoung people
