The Big Ambition was a large-scale consultation of children in England carried out between September 2023 and January 2024 by the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza. It engaged with more than 367,000 children (including adults on behalf of children) over a broad set of questions about their lives and what they think needs to change to make children’s lives better.
The interactive map below shows the percentage of children and young people who agreed with each of the 20 statements asked in The Big Ambition. They are grouped into the seven core pillars that underpin the Commissioner’s work.
Agreement with a statement could vary significantly across England, and the maps was developed to help understand the diverse voices and experiences of children. Try it below to see how an area compares to the national average and the range of agreement across different areas of England.
1. Search by your local authority, parliamentary constituency or region using the ‘Geographical level‘ drop-down menu on the left, or above the map if using a mobile device.
2. Explore the results of each statement using the ‘Select statement‘ drop-down menu on the left.
3. Use your mouse to hover over the map to see how many children and young people in that area agreed with the statement OR if you’re viewing the map from a mobile device, tap on the map itself. You can also view a specific area using the ‘Choose your area‘ drop-down menu on the left.
The Big Ambition was a survey carried out by the Children’s Commissioner between September 2023 and January 2024. It asked children about their experiences, views and what they want government to do. The results from the survey have informed the Children’s Commissioner’s own priorities for the rest of her time in office, and the work she does to influence the government’s plans. The survey built on The Big Ask, the largest ever survey of children, which the Children’s Commissioner ran in 2021, and to which 557,077 children aged 4 to 17 responded.
The 253,000 responses – 214,553 from children directly, and 38,448 from adults responding on their behalf – account for over 2% of all children in England, making it the second largest survey ever of children in England after The Big Ask. There were 366,628 total engagements with the survey, including respondents to the survey who did not share their opinions and who did not click ‘Finish Survey’.
The survey link was disseminated to all schools in England and a range of other organisations. Responses were gathered from every local authority in England and at least one response was gathered from over 10,000 schools, equating to 40% of all schools in England. The survey received large numbers of responses from children whose voices are least likely to be heard, including 39,000 children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), equating to over 2% of all children with SEND in England, 14,000 children with a social worker, 390 children in secure settings and 300 in mental health hospitals.
The Big Ambition survey asked a range of demographic questions, including school name where applicable, and presented respondents with 20 statements to which they could agree or disagree.
Not all children responded to every statement. The table below provides a summary of who answered what statement. Statements were also worded differently for accessibility for different age groups and SEND status (easy read).
| Pillar | Question | Primary | Secondary | Easy read | Adult |
| Better World | You feel empowered to change issues that you care about | x | x | x | x |
| People who run the country listen to your views | x | x | x | ||
| You are treated fairly | x | x | x | x | |
| Jobs and Skills | You have the same opportunities as other children and young people | x | x | x | x |
| You know about apprenticeships, university options and career paths | x | x | |||
| You know about money and life skills | x | x | |||
| You know about good jobs for when you are older | x | x | |||
| Health | You feel happy with the way you look | x | |||
| You can access good healthcare when you need it | x | x | |||
| You have a healthy diet | x | x | x | x | |
| You have someone supportive to talk to about how you feel | x | x | x | x | |
| Education | You have great teachers who support you | x | x | x | x |
| You enjoy school or college | x | x | x | x | |
| Family | You have somewhere to call home | x | x | x | x |
| You live with people who make you feel loved and cared for | x | x | x | x | |
| Your family has everything they need to support you | x | x | x | x | |
| Your family gets to spend quality time together | x | x | x | x | |
| Community | You feel safe when you go online | x | x | x | x |
| You feel safe and protected in your local area | x | x | x | x | |
| You have fun activities to do near where you live | x | x | x | x |
For more information on methodology, see the Further reading section below for the full Research report.
The Big Ambition was launched formally in Parliament on March 25th, 2024 alongside the Commissioner’s 16 young Ambassadors. It offers a positive vision to improve and protect childhood by setting 33 practical ambitions aimed at overcoming the challenges children told the Commissioner they face: from staying safe online and challenging harmful myths around body image, to lessons in how to manage their money and more enriching activities that divert away from crime.
The Big Ambition was a large-scale consultation of children in England carried out between September 2023 and January 2024, engaging 367,000 children and adults, and receiving responses from 253,000. Children aged 6 to 17, young people aged 18 still in school or college, and adults on behalf of children answered a broad set of questions about their lives. Results cover 10 themes of family, education, children’s social care, youth work, online safety, health, safety from crime, jobs and skills, unaccompanied children seeking asylum, and thoughts on ‘a better world’, based on the ‘pillars’ of the Commissioner’s work established in The Big Ask.
