Secondary school pupils in England are “substantially more likely” to be regularly mocked by peers compared with young people in other countries, according to research, and to experience lower life satisfaction.
They are also more likely to be bullied and have declining life satisfaction, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank.
The proportion of young people who are satisfied with life has fallen by nearly 20 percentage points since 2010.
The researchers analysed responses from more than 175 young people and their families, including data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), and concluded that growing up in England “has become more pressured, more isolating and less enjoyable”.
The Pisa data shows that around a fifth of students in England report being made fun of at school “at least a few times a month”.
Across countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the figure was 12%. Students in England also report “greater exposure to bullying overall”, according to the research
Wellbeing concerns
IPPR said the findings were evidence of a wider crisis in young people’s wellbeing, in which childhood and adolescence increasingly feel isolating, pressured and unforgiving.
The report found that 44% of 16- to 24-year-olds in England were satisfied with their lives, down from 62% in 2010.
In England’s most deprived areas, this fell from 55.9% to 34.7% over the same period.
The report says this is “further evidence of the everyday experiences contributing to a growing crisis in wellbeing and life satisfaction”.
Fewer and fewer feel safe, supported or connected to the people and places around them
School, exams and work were “frequently” mentioned as pressures and stresses facing children and young people, as were choosing GCSEs and A levels, sitting exams and progression after school.
The proportion of children who say they are very or quite worried about their exams has risen from 28% in 2019, to 43% in 2025.
Young people taking part in IPPR workshops described GCSE decisions as feeling like “a life-or-death situation” and said they were expected to make choices that could determine the rest of their lives.
The report said: “This isn’t just regular exam anxiety. Data shows that children in England are becoming more worried about getting good grades in school.”
Just 63% of students in England said they feel they belong at their school – well below the OECD average of 75%.
The government promised in its schools white paper that all schools will monitor pupils’ sense of belonging by 2029. Currently, just 60% of schools currently doing so, according to the government.
Conor Carleton, children and young people expert at IPPR, said: “Life satisfaction and belonging have fallen off a cliff for young people in England.
“Fewer and fewer feel safe, supported or connected to the people and places around them – and fewer still are getting to enjoy being young in the first place.”
He called on ministers to put belonging “at the heart of their plans for children, from the culture inside schools to the restoration of youth clubs, sports, arts and other spaces where young people can build relationships and enjoy being young“.
The IPPR will provide a fuller report, with policy recommendations for young people, in the autumn.
