55% ‘negative’, 34% ‘no expectations’, 9% ‘hopeless’
Anxiety due to the impact of recession, climate crisis, and epidemic news
The Guardian reported on the 4th (local time) that a survey of 1,001 British teenagers (14 to 17 years old) found that 98% had negative views on the future.
According to a survey conducted by children’s charity Bernardo’s, when asked to imagine themselves when they were 30, 55% responded that they would live a worse life than the previous generation, 34% responded that their lives would not improve, and 9% had “no hope.” gave an answer. The main causes of negative views were analyzed as livelihood, climate crisis, and infectious diseases.
One teenager said, “My mother, who is a college graduate and a nurse, also works without days off to cover living expenses. I am not smarter than her, so life will be harder than her.”
Bernardo’s CEO Lynn Perry said the results were “a signal that social promises are being broken and the next generation is at risk.”
Perry said children are constantly hearing news about inequality, the environment, disease and housing issues, and those with lower incomes are affected more strongly. He went on to warn that it is not right for children to be afraid of the future because of consequences they did not bring about.
Bernardoz said protecting young people was becoming increasingly difficult as children’s mental health issues and the risk of online exploitation increased.
According to the National Health Service (NHS), the number of mental health patients under the age of 18 in the UK who were receiving treatment or waiting for treatment in May last year was approximately 466,000, the highest ever. The number of emergency (serious cases such as self-harm) patients was 3,500, three times that of the same period last year.
Meanwhile, in the ‘2023 World Happiness Report’ released last year by the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), the UK ranked 19th out of 137 countries around the world. The happiness index is 6.796, which is more than 1 point different from Finland (7.804 points), which ranked first.
The happiness index of Korea, ranked 57th, is 5.951 points.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.