- With plans to lower the voting age to 16, Children’s Commissioner’s polling shows widespread disengagement, low confidence and uncertainty about political participation among young people
- Commissioner’s new data on young people’s voting intention comes the morning after the local elections, amid concerns about public engagement with democracy
- At the same time, nine in ten young people say they are worried about the future, with getting a good job, having enough money and housing among children’s top concerns
- Dame Rachel de Souza launches The Big Future, a major new national survey to hear from England’s children about whether politicians listen to their views and what the government needs to do to improve childhood, as well as emerging issues like their thoughts on AI, proposed social media restrictions and their voting intentions
Today’s generation of teenagers are growing up worried about their futures and uncertain about voting in the next general election, the Children’s Commissioner will warn today, as she launches her final large scale national survey to ask children what it’s like to be a child in England today.
Dame Rachel de Souza’s new polling paints a stark picture, with half of 13 to 17-year-olds saying they either do not know which political party they would support in the next general election or if they would even vote at all.
The findings come the morning after the local elections, amid concerns about adult engagement in the democratic system, and as we look ahead to the next general election.
By 2029, an estimated four million more young people, currently aged 13 to 17, could be eligible to vote under plans to extend the voting age to 16-year-olds – yet many are approaching this milestone feeling disconnected from politics and uncertain their voice matters.
At the same time, the Commissioner’s polling reveals widespread anxiety among teenagers about what lies ahead. Nine in ten say they worry about the future, with concerns ranging from having a good home, having enough money, and doing well in school or college to war and conflict.
Launching The Big Future, Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said:
“For the first time, hundreds of thousands of children will be eligible to vote in the next general election at 16 – but my polling of how children intend to vote shows teenagers are uncertain about voting. Many say they don’t know which political party they would support, or even if they would vote at all. That’s why I’m launching my final survey, The Big Future, to ask children all over the country – in schools, in hospitals, in youth centres and in youth prisons – what they think about childhood today and how we can improve it for future generations.
“As a nation, we’re at a crossroads. We are making the biggest change to the franchise in 50 years, at a time when many are asking if childhood today is as good as it was for generations past. There is growing uncertainty about childhood today – from screentime to schooling, from future jobs to AI – yet children consistently tell me they’re not heard and excluded from the debate.
“It’s clear the nature of childhood has changed so much since my first survey at the end of lockdown: mental health referrals up by half a million, more children spending long periods online, and growing numbers needing additional support at school. That’s why it’s vital we hear from children, to know what they love, what they worry about and, most importantly, what they think needs to change for a better future.
“How we respond to children’s challenges will define what it means to grow up in England and shape how a generation engages in democracy for years to come. Hearing from children doesn’t just mean listening to them once. It cannot be optional. If we are serious about making children’s lives – their outcomes – better we must listen to them, especially those who are least often heard. Children in this country are brimming with ideas, experience and ambition to make England the best country in the world to grow up in– they need us to listen and act.”
Today’s polling underlines children’s uncertainty for the future – with 28 per cent saying they do not know which political party they would vote for and 20 per cent saying they do not know whether they would vote at all. A further 11 per cent said they would not vote in the next general election.
In response, Dame Rachel is calling for young people to be supported and prepared to take part in democratic life by giving children lessons in citizenship and democracy, so they can learn through discussion and debate and have the right tools when the voting age is lowered.
She is also urging political parties to engage younger voters by making their case to children, consulting and embedding their views, as well as producing children’s versions of manifestos. The Commissioner is calling on politicians, at all levels, to engage with children through visits to schools and community spaces in local constituencies.
Dame Rachel’s polling revealed children’s worries are immediate: getting a good job and having enough money (both 43 per cent). Many were also concerned about making social connections, with 42 per cent worried about having friends – while two in five worried about doing well at school or college.
Fewer children were worried about climate change (14 per cent) or Artificial Intelligence (eight per cent), while more than a quarter were worried about ‘war and conflict’ (28 per cent).
For older children, concerns about employment and money rose dramatically – with two thirds worried about finding a good job, and 60 per cent worrying about their future finances.
Children with special educational needs and disabilities reported similar overall concerns as their peers but were more likely to worry about having friends and about their health and happiness.
Against this backdrop, Dame Rachel is launching her third – and final – large scale national survey, The Big Future, at her second Festival of Childhood at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester. The survey is chance to hear from children about their lives ahead, their thoughts on voting and what they need to be prepared for the future.
The survey, which will be sent to all schools and colleges across England, is available online. It will hear from as many children as possible to help make England the best place for children to grow up, asking what needs to be done to improve children’s local area, whether politicians listen to their views, if they would vote in the upcoming general election, and what the government needs to do to improve childhood.
Since taking up office, the Commissioner has heard from a million children – through her two previous surveys The Big Ask and The Big Ambition, as well other visits and engagements.
Speaking at the opening of the Festival of Childhood, Sally MacDonald OBE, Director of the Science and Industry Museum said:
“Young people are at the heart of everything we do as a museum that inspires futures and explores ideas that change the world. As part of the Festival of Childhood, we are pleased to announce a step change in that commitment with the launch of our pioneering new learning programme to help improve young people’s life chances to explore skills and opportunities in key STEM industries. Developed with young people, educators and STEM professionals we are building on our decades long work in this area to reach every school in Greater Manchester, create experiences and pathways spanning early years to early career, connect young people to real world roles and opportunities and continue to co-design our museum and future galleries and education resources with youth voices and needs at their heart.
“Museums are a great place to do this, especially here on the site of the world’s first passenger railway station, in a city brimming with innovation today. Learning about Digital and AI against “Baby”, the backdrop of the world’s first stored programme computer, materials and maths while hearing the whirr of historic textiles machinery and physics, engineering and green energy among working engines in the awe-inspiring living gallery of the iconic Power Hall helps create wonder and possibility”.
Today’s Festival builds on last year’s inaugural Festival of Childhood, continuing the Commissioner’s core mission to make sure children’s voices are heard at the highest level of decision making.
Later today Dame Rachel will be joined by hundreds of young delegates, aged 11 to 18 for a full day of workshops and activities, beginning with speeches from Caroline Simpson, Group Chief Executive, GMCA, Sally MacDonald OBE, Director, Science and Industry Museum Manchester and the Children’s Commissioner’s Youth Ambassadors.
The Festival will also feature a panel discussion chaired by Dame Rachel on online safety and the proposed social media ban for under 16s featuring Jay Weatherill, the Australian High Commissioner to the UK, broadcaster Ore Oduba, and two of her youth ambassadors, to hear directly from young people about the impact of the online world. Today’s polling revealed three quarters of children feel safe online.
The Big Future marks the next phase of the Commissioner’s programme of listening directly to children at scale – ensuring their experiences, hopes and aspirations are reflected in national policy debates.
