Teenagers and young people with mental health problems have the bleakest outlook on their futures in the age group, and believe they have little chance of ever becoming successful.
A report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) shows young people with poor mental health are twice a likely as their peers to have little faith in their own futures, and believe they will end up as long-term unemployed.
The study estimates that four in ten women and three in ten men aged 16-29 years have poor mental health.
“Whilst the spectrum of mental health conditions and individual outcomes is vast and nuanced, there seems to be a relationship between how young people are feeling right now and how they feel about their futures,” the study found.
“Poor mental health can darken how young people see what lies ahead: equally, growing up with little confidence that effort will be rewarded can weigh heavily on wellbeing.
“Whatever the direction of causality, the gap is stark. Young people experiencing poor mental health are markedly more pessimistic about their chances of success and more likely to think long-term unemployment could happen to them.”
The report found that young people generally no longer believed that they would be rewarded for hard work, with only one in four believing everyone has a fair chance in life.
This signified a breakdown in Britain’s social contract, which depends on citizens
believing that effort and contribution will be met with progress from one generation to the next.
“This pessimism isn’t just a symptom of a generation in distress,” the report said. “It is also a warning light.
“If the next generation believes that the game is rigged, the risk is that they participate less in the economy, society, democracy, and in their communities.”
