More than half of parents and almost two-thirds of grandparents believe that life is more difficult and stressful now than when they were children, citing financial issues, house prices, climate crisis and emotional stress associated with school and the media. social networking, according to the charity. Action for Children. Although children are generally more likely to have a positive outlook, one-third believe that their parents enjoyed a better childhood than their own. Many report growing concerns about mental health, school stress, and family finances, with those from poorer backgrounds being much more likely to be pessimistic. While 38% of children from low-income households (up to .000 20,000 per year) were more likely to say their childhood was worse, this was reduced to 26% of children from households with an income of 70 70,000 or more. Similarly, 64% of the poorest parents thought their children’s lives were worse, compared with 48% of the richer households. Nearly half of children from low-income households are worried about family finances, for example, compared to 14% of children from wealthier families. Children from poorer families are much less confident that they will find the job they want and are twice as likely to believe that they will not get to university. “We are all going through the experience of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, but the difficulty is felt much more strongly if you have a low income,” said Imran Hussain, director of policy and campaigns at Action for Children. . Although all children were concerned about the climate crisis, those from more affluent environments were more likely to be concerned. More than half of children from wealthier families (56%) stressed this, compared with 29% in low-income environments. Mental illness continued to be listed as a major concern for children, with 42% believing that their own mental health was a problem, compared with 29% when asked in a previous Action for Children survey in 2019. . Adult recognition of child mental health as an issue has also accelerated, according to research. In 2019, 17% of parents and 9% of grandparents identified mental health as a concern. By 2021 this had increased to 45% of parents and 30% of grandparents. Hussein said: “Despite the worst cost of living crisis since the archives began, the limited assistance to distressed families in last week’s spring statement was extremely disappointing. “Our research shows how much children are worried about ‘adult issues’, with those in poorer households worrying more about their family finances.” He added: “It is the fundamental responsibility of any government to ensure that every generation of children has a better childhood and a brighter future than ever before, but day by day our front-line staff support families who face decisions about whether or not to they will light the fire or put food on the table “. The survey of 5,000 young people, parents and grandparents was conducted between December and January. The Ministry of Education has been approached for comment.
