Press Story

The number of young people with no close friends has increased five-fold since 2014
Gen Z are more isolated, more distressed and less productive than previous generations
IPPR calls for a settlement for young people, to restore hope and opportunity

New IPPR research reveals a generation becoming more vulnerable, with worsening mental health increasingly hitting young people’s ability to be productive.

Young people in England are becoming dramatically more isolated from one another, with one in 20 now reporting that they have no close friends at all, up from one in 100 in 2014.

The proportion of 16–21-year-olds with at least three close friends has also fallen substantially, as has the quality of friendships, with less 14- and 15-year-olds saying they are happy with their friends than a decade ago.

Young people are also reporting strikingly low levels of confidence in their appearance. Only around one in three young women are pleased with how they look. A decade ago, more than half of boys were satisfied with their appearance; today that has fallen to 38 per cent.

The authors of the report say that the foundations of a good adolescence are being eroded, leaving young people increasingly disconnected from themselves, from each other and from wider society.

New research for the report found that nearly half of young women aged 16–24 (47 per cent) and more than a third of young men (36 per cent) now meet the threshold for psychological distress.

This is having a profound effect on productivity. In 2010–12, just 4.1 per cent of 16–24-year-olds said their mental health had meant they accomplished less than they otherwise would have over the previous month. Today that figure is 16.8 per cent – more than four times as high.

IPPR argues these trends cannot be understood by treating young people as simply less resilient than previous generations. Today’s generation has grown up amid an extraordinary combination of austerity, Covid-19, rapidly growing social media use, economic insecurity and increasingly difficult transitions into adult life, such as expensive rents and unaffordable house prices.

IPPR warns that these pressures are combining to produce a generation increasingly disconnected on three fronts: from themselves, from each other and from wider society.

The consequences extend far beyond “youth policy”. A society in which young people have fewer meaningful relationships, less confidence in themselves and less faith in their future risks becoming less productive, less cohesive and less able to sustain the belief that collective action can make life better.

IPPR has recently launched its State of a Generation programme, chaired by Sam Freedman, to work with young people, experts and businesses to develop a new settlement for young people. The final report will be published in 2027, setting out solutions to rebuild the connections, institutions and opportunities young people need to thrive.

Avnee Morjaria, associate director at IPPR, said:

“Kids aren’t snowflakes. This is a rational response to a bleak world we have left for them. A generation has grown up through austerity, a pandemic and a digital revolution, while the costs of getting a home and starting an adult life have soared. We have stripped away too many of the places, services and routes into adulthood that help young people build confidence, connection and hope.

“The consequences are now showing up not just in young people’s happiness, but in their ability to learn, work and get things done. If we want a more productive, cohesive and hopeful country, we have to rebuild the foundations of a good adolescence.”

Ellie Harris, head of children and young people at IPPR, said:

"Whatever their background, too many young people are experiencing distress, loneliness and barriers at every turn.

“This cannot be solved by tweaks to youth policy, another education initiative or simply adding a few more professionals. We need a new settlement for young people that gives them hope and a genuine stake in the future.

“Young people are the future of our country. They deserve the opportunity to build meaningful, fulfilling lives, and it is our responsibility to help make that possible."

Conor Carleton, children and young people policy expert at IPPR, said:

“Across every conversation we had with young people, from the south coast to the North East, one thing was clear: they have big hopes for their futures. But again and again, they told us that the support they need from the adults and institutions around them simply isn’t there.

“Young people deserve better. They have been asked to shoulder the consequences of austerity, the pandemic, and a society that has too often put established wealth and powerful tech companies ahead of their interests, reshaping their communities and transforming what it means to grow up.

“Change is desperately needed. Anything short of a fundamental new settlement for young people will fail to match the scale of the challenge they are describing.”

ENDS

Experts are available for interview

CONTACT

Liam Evans, head of news and media: 07419 365 334 l.evans@ippr.org

NOTES TO EDITORS

The IPPR report will be available for download at: https://www.ippr.org/articles/the-loneliest-generation
Advance copies of the report are available under embargo on request
IPPR (the Institute for Public Policy Research) is the UK’s most influential think tank, with alumni in Downing Street, the cabinet and parliament. We are the practical ideas factory behind many of the current government’s flagship policies, including changes to fiscal rules, the creation of a National Wealth Fund, GB Energy, devolution, and reforms to the NHS. As an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society, we have spent almost 40 years creating tangible progressive change - turning bold ideas into common sense realities. www.ippr.org