UK
Research says that young Britons are unhappy and lack
confidence in themselves and their future. But what are the reasons for
this?
According to the Prince’s Trust the results from
its UK Youth Index shows that three out of five regularly feel stressed
about jobs and money, with half saying they experienced a mental health
problems, and that the figures should “ring alarm bells”.
Respondents said their enormous student debt and the prospect of not
being able to own a home were some of the reasons for their generation’s
unhappiness. Here are some other suggestions from young people across
Britain.
Student debt
‘Three years
in employment and my debt is £46,000’: Alex, 23, software developer,
London
I went to university to study physics with the hope of
going into scientific research. But after considering factors such as
student debt I realised the reality of the situation, and decided to
look for jobs that focused around pay instead. I immediately obtained a
job after uni but three years on – and despite paying monthly payments
of approx £100-150 – my student debt is now at £46,000 due to interest.
‘Students study at a huge financial cost’: Eloise Millard, 23,
student, Sheffield
Young people are often sold the lie they need
to get to university to get where they need to be. Students study at a
huge financial cost, and graduate only to be able not to find work in
the fields they want to go into. University has become desirable because
of the freedom it gives young people who have never lived away from
home. We need to encourage more into vocational jobs and reaffirm to
them that these are worthy careers.
Mental health
‘There’s still a stigma around mental health’:
Gaby, 16, student, Huddersfield
Mental health problems are
incredibly common among young people. Many teens have to turn to the
internet or even their friends to help them, because the resources
simply aren’t there, not to mention the stigma around mental health. In
terms of what can be done to improve things, we just want a government
that will listen to us
‘There’s unbelievable amounts of
pressure at school’: Steph, 19, student, Glasgow
Schools put
unbelievable amounts of pressure on young people with studying. For me
personally, I was so stressed and anxious in school that I would suffer
panic attacks. One time I broke down crying in the middle of class.
Schools must stop scaring pupils into studying by threatening that they
will be dropped from the course because this has a terrible impact on
young people’s mental health.
Lack of housing
‘I won’t be able to afford to rent let alone buy’: Dina Madan,
19, student, Glasgow
My mum was able to buy and rent out a flat
in Glasgow’s city centre when she was 17-years-old and working at the
Department for Work and Pensions. I know I won’t even be able to afford
to rent a flat let alone buy one! Housing prices and rent need to come
down or young people are going to be living at home forever – it’s
inevitable.
‘I can only live in shared housing on my current
wage’: Katie, 23, coordinator in the voluntary sector, Leeds
I
can only live in shared housing on my current wage. I have started
saving for a deposit with the view to buy within ten years, and I am
able to save every month only due to the fact I live in a northern city,
where cost of living is cheaper. If the government and society do not
act now, we will experience the consequences of a stressed out, burned
out generation.
Social media
‘Social
media has poisoned young people’: Joe, 24, self-employed, East Midlands
The whole text generation has taken a lot of character out of young
people’s communication and left a lot of them strangers to themselves.
The influence of social media has poisoned the generations that have
only ever known that life too.
‘Every single stupid decision
is forever saved online’: Theo, 17, student, Kent
People say we
are lucky to have phones and all this technology when in reality it’s
having a negative effect. People can’t make mistakes anymore because it
will always come back to haunt them; every single stupid decision is
forever saved online which makes growing up harder as you have learn and
grow from these embarrassing things.
Loneliness
‘There’s a definite feeling of loneliness’: Harry, 21, student,
Reading
Although we are connected technologically like never
before there’s a definite feeling of loneliness. I think much of this
stems from a lack of community. The loneliness, constant competition and
the feeling of not being listened to or taken advantage of takes a toll.
I think we need a change in what we value as a society. Instead of
focusing so much on what we produce we should instead look at what
actually matters in life.
‘Being the only one in my
friendship group without a job makes me feel lonely’: Lucy, 23,
graduate, Derbyshire
Despite having an excellent group of
friends I feel lonely and isolated. I try not to spend too much time on
social media, but when I scroll through and see the curated versions of
people’s lives, it makes me feel worse, even though I know people only
share the good stuff. Being the only one in my friendship group without
a job also makes me feel lonely. They’re great friends and never bring
it up or make me feel bad about it, but inside I feel worthless because
nobody will hire me.
Some names have been changed.
By Rachel Obordo and Guardian readers
9 April 2018
