Third Sector
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'Broke, not broken' report
Thousands of young people from the UK’s poorest families believe they will achieve 'few' or 'none' of their goals in life, warns 'Broke, not broken', a new report by The Prince’s Trust and RBS.
The 'Broke, not Broken' report found that one in four of those from deprived homes (26 per cent) believe that “few” or “none” of their career goals are achievable, compared to just seven per cent of those from affluent families.
The research, which highlights a clear aspiration gap between the UK’s richest and poorest young people, shows how a quarter from poor homes (26 per cent) feel that “people like them don’t succeed in life”.
According to the report, based on interviews with 2,311 16-to-24-year-olds from across the UK, young people growing up in poverty are significantly less likely to imagine themselves buying a nice house or even finding a job in the future.
They are three times as likely to believe they will “end up on benefits for at least part of their life” and almost four times as likely to think they will “end up in a dead-end job” .
More than one in six of those from poor homes (16 per cent) say their family and friends have made fun of them when they talk about finding a good job.
The report, by The Prince’s Trust and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, also reveals how the childhood dreams of the UK’s poorest youngsters start to slip away as they get older. Young people growing up in poverty are almost twice as likely as those from wealthy families to scale down their ambitions as they get older.
Key points:
- One in four of those from deprived homes believe that 'few' or 'none' of their career goals are achievable, compared to just seven per cent of those from affluent families.
- A quarter of young people from poor homes (26 per cent) feel that “people like them don’t succeed in life
- Young people growing up in poverty are significantly less likely to imagine themselves buying a nice house or even finding a job in the future.
Comments:
"The aspiration gap between the UK’s richest and poorest young people is creating a ‘youth underclass’ – who tragically feel they have no future. We simply cannot ignore this inequality."
- Martina Milburn, Chief Executive of The Prince's Trust
"By helping young people into jobs and enterprise, we can not only help them to escape poverty and change their lives for the better, but we can help to break down the pattern of low aspirations."
- Fionnuala Earley, Economist, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group
RBS supports The Prince's Trust to help the one million young people who are not in education, employment or training.
