News: The Good Childhood Report (2023) shows money and environmental concerns are significant worries for children
Earlier this week The Children’s Society published it’s twelfth ‘Good Childhood Report‘, presenting recent trends in children’s subjective wellbeing.
Children want to be listened to
In the introduction to this year’s report, Mark Russell, of The Children’s Society writes:
Time and time again, when we ask children what needs to change to improve their lives, they tell us simply that they want to feel supported and listened to. This is not too much to ask. Children and young people need a cohesive, responsive, and compassionate system of support around them which aims to prevent their wellbeing from declining
Mark Russell, Chief Executive, The Children’s Society, pg. 4
Less than four in ten children feel optimistic about the future of the country and the world
The survey shows that many children and young people are worried about money and finances, with rising prices being identified as key areas of concern. Children who expressed worries about money were found to be more likely to be unhappy with every aspect of their lives.
The report also found differences in feeling among some groups of children and young people. For example, children with Special Educational Needs were more likely to be unhappy with their health and friendships.
Girls were found to be significantly less happy with their appearance than boys and their average happiness in 2020/21 is now significantly lower than when the survey started in 2009/10.
Explore more
The Children’s Society has a number of resources to explore the report in more depth: