just two-thirds of young adults anticipate a better life than their parents, a wide-ranging new survey has revealed, as optimism among young people continues to slump.
Only 36 per cent of 16 to 29-year-olds now believe their future prospects will surpass those of their parents, the second annual UK Youth Poll conducted by the John Smith Centre at Glasgow University found – a significant decline from 63 per cent just a year ago
The poll surveyed over 2,000 young people to draw its results, sponsored by Nationwide Building Society.
The most pressing issues identified by young people included inflation and the cost of living, housing affordability, healthcare, immigration and asylum, and jobs and job security.
Speaking about the research Eddie Barnes, director of the John Smith Centre, said: “The idea that the next generation will have it better than previous ones has been a founding belief for decades.
“Today’s poll shows that the majority of this generation of young people no longer believe it to be true. And it reveals their loss of belief is collapsing at speed.”
He stated: “On the upside, young people remain broadly optimistic about their future and want to engage in politics and public life.
“But locked out of the housing market, pinned down by low wages, loaded by student debt, and increasingly worried about the rise in AI, young people today feel a growing sense of unfairness about the world around them.”
In the wake of the polling he called on governments across the UK – and all political parties – to “set out the practical policies that will restore young people’s faith in the future”.
Conor Nakkan, senior researcher at the Intergenerational Foundation, said: “That two-thirds of young people now expect to be worse off than their parents should be setting off alarm bells across Westminster.
“These findings reflect the lived reality for millions of young people across the UK. High housing costs, relatively stagnant wages, and growing insecurity at work mean many young adults feel they are working harder for less security than the generation before them.”
He points to research by the Intergenerational Foundation that last year that finds that under-30s now spend almost 70 per cent of their total expenditure on essentials, up from around 55 per cent in the early 2000s.
Homeownership rates have also fallen sharply, data from the organisation shows, with the share of 16 to 24-year-olds owning a home declining from around 27 per cent two decades ago to just 11 per cent today.
Mr Nakkan added: “Many younger people are now living at home for longer, taking on larger student debts, struggling to find secure work, and taking longer to reach important life milestones such as homeownership and starting a family. Given all this, it is hardly surprising that so many worry they will be worse off than their parents.”
The wide-ranging poll also found that half (50 per cent) of young people would not be prepared to “take up arms and go to war for Britain” in any circumstances.
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