Impact of inequality hits young people’s prospects

While nearly a third (30%) of young people expect to “end up in a dead-end job” and that “people like me don’t succeed”, this rises to 43% among young people from lower-income families.

These are among the findings of a recent study, A matter of perspective? Outlook inequality and its impact on young people, by cross-party think tank the Social Market Foundation. The study examines Covid impacts on young people.

The research reveals that thousands of young people in the UK are concerned about their job prospects, with those from lower income families having less optimism and career ambition than those from higher income families. And while a further 34% of young people feel ill-equipped to compete in the job market, this rises to over half (52%) of those from less affluent backgrounds.

Among the report’s key findings are that although the majority of young people feel relatively positive about their future, “a substantial minority of young people feel concerningly pessimistic about their prospects”.

https://www.smf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/A-matter-of-perspective-Jul-2021.pdf