A new study by UK retailer the Co-op and children’s charity Barnardos has found that fulfilling basic needs, such as having enough money to pay for food, has become aspirational for many young people, with one in three (35%) accessing food support in the last six months.
The study, Youth Opportunities Tracker: Fairer Futures, looked at the experiences, life chances and aspirations of over 5,000 10 to 25-year-olds across the United Kingdom, and how they have changed since 2021.
In the last six months, almost half (46%) of young people have worried about being able to afford things, with one in three (35%) saying their family has used food support measures, such as a community fridge or food bank.
Almost a quarter (23%) say they started the day without a meal.
Life Goals
Additionally, the study also found that the rising cost of living is having a significant knock-on impact on young people’s life goals, as making it through day-to-day takes priority.
Having enough money to cover basic needs has become the most common aspiration for 9 in 10 (89%) of young people, overtaking other traditional goals such as ‘achieving their dream job’ (85%) or ‘buying a house’ (83%).
Only three-quarters (76%) think it is likely they will be able to have enough money to cover basic needs in the future.
Partnership
Co-op and Barnardo’s have announced they are bringing communities together to raise £5 million (€5.75 million) to support 750,000 young people to prioritise immediate needs but also achieve long term goals.
The partnership has created a Youth Advisory Group that will advise on all aspects of the partnership – developing support 'with young people for young people.'
'Grassroots Approach'
"We know that taking a grassroots approach and giving young people a voice on the issues which affect them will drive better long-term outcomes for them and their communities," said Shirine Khoury-Haq, CEO of Co-op Group.
“That’s why we’ve partnered with Barnardo’s to raise £5 million to support 750,000 young people in communities across the UK, working with young people to identify the problems they face and co-create solutions.”
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
