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The new UK Youth Poll published by the John Smith Centre reveals a massive drop in the number of young people who expect to be better off than their parents.

The poll of 2,000 16 to 29 year olds - sponsored by Nationwide Building Society - shows that those who say they expect their lives to be better than their parents has halved in a year - from 63% to just 36%.

The poll also finds that only 25% of young people feel they are being treated fairly by the political system.

Young people rank financial worries, job insecurity and housing instability as their top three worries and rank better wages, affordable housing and more career opportunities as the top three things that would make them happier.

The second annual UK Youth Poll analyses young peoples’ attitudes across a range of current issues. It also finds that 50% say there are no circumstances under which they would take up arms for the UK, and the impact of AI on jobs is ranked as a top three threat by 55% of young people.

Asked which political leader best represents British values, 45% failed to name any current leader, saying either none of the above or that they did not know.

Eddie Barnes, director of the John Smith Centre said: "The idea that the next generation will have it better than previous ones has been a founding belief for decades. Today’s poll shows that the majority of this generation of young people no longer believe it to be true. And it reveals their loss of belief is collapsing at speed.

"On the upside, young people remain broadly optimistic about their future and want to engage in politics and public life. But locked out of the housing market, pinned down by low wages, loaded by student debt, and increasingly worried about the rise in AI, young people today feel a growing sense of unfairness about the world around them.

"In those circumstances, it should be little surprise that 50% say they wouldn’t fight for the country under any circumstances. Or as many young people might put it: why fight for a country that isn’t fighting for you?

"Governments across the UK and all political parties need to listen and set out the practical policies that will restore young peoples’ faith in the future."

Dr Elisabeth Loose, the project lead and report’s main author, said: "The message from young people in this poll is clear: they want politicians to deliver policies that will provide them with some financial security, and they want a more honest politics that engages seriously with the challenges they and the country faces.

"The narrative around young people has to change, away from a generation that is lazy and drifting to the extremes towards a generation made up of multitudes of views and beliefs by people who are trying their best to find their way in life but who are hindered by a political and economic system that works against them."

Dame Debbie Crosbie DBE, Chief Executive Officer of Nationwide said: "This report is a call to listen carefully and act collectively. By taking young people’s experiences seriously, we can rebuild confidence, fairness and hope – and ensure the next generation has a genuine chance to prosper."

The poll asked: "Do you think your life will eventually be better, worse, or the same as your parents’ lives?"

Thirty six percent said better, 38% said worse, 21% said the same, and 6% said they didn’t know. Last year, 63% said better, 13% said worse, 20% said the same, and 4% said they didn’t know.

Respondents were also given the statement: “I would be willing to take up arms and go to war for Britain”. Fifty percent said ‘under no circumstances’, 38% said ‘under some circumstances’ and 12% said ‘don’t know’.

Other findings in the poll showed that only 13% disagree with the statement that ‘Democracy in Britain is in trouble’, while 56% agree.

Asked whether politics in the UK has become too divisive, 53% agree and only 13% disagree.
However, the number of young people who say they prefer dictatorship to democracy has fallen compared to last year, from 27% last year to 17% this year.

Asked to rank the main issues affecting the UK today, young people’s top five in descending order were inflation and the cost of living, housing affordability, healthcare, immigration and asylum, and jobs/job security.

Since last year, young people have moved slightly leftwards: 22% now place themselves on the left, up from 17% last year, while the proportion identifying with the right has fallen from 20% to 15%.

Despite widespread mistrust in politics, young people remain active: almost three quarters engaged in at least one political or community action in the past year (73%), most commonly signing petitions or advocating via social media.

On geopolitics, young people believe the UK has some responsibility to intervene overseas, particularly in cases of human rights abuses (average rating 6.7/10). They are also open to reparations for former colonies, with 66% saying ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’.

Over half (51%) believe immigration has improved their communities, and average warmth ratings toward different migrant groups are positive across the board (6.3/10 overall).

Large majorities say respecting UK laws (86%), speaking English (85%), and holding citizenship (76%) matter for being ‘truly British.’ By contrast, 69% reject Christianity as a requirement, and opinions on being born in Britain are evenly split (48% think it is important vs 49% who do not).
The UK Youth Poll, now in its second year, is a major piece of research which aims to set out the main priorities and concerns of 16–29-year-olds in the UK.

As well as conducting a poll, the Centre also carried out interviews with more than 200 young people, in which financial issues regularly emerged as the main cause for worry.

One 22-year old man said: "A growing sentiment among me and peers is why should we even try to uphold a social contract that will never work for us in the future? We will never be able to own homes or even retire at this rate."

A 29-year old woman added: "I’m terrified for the future of not being able to buy a house, not being able to have a family […] it’s kind of scary that, you know, I’ve been working outside of uni for eight years and I have a degree and I’m still struggling to get a job. I live with my parents now and I’m grateful that I can live with my parents, but my parents can’t support me financially."

The John Smith Centre at the University of Glasgow works to break down barriers for young people who wish to enter public life and politics, especially those from under-represented backgrounds.

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First published: 22 April 2026