Contains all the current domains and measures of national well-being for young people. As well as providing the latest data for each measure, where available a time series of data are also presented along with useful links to data sources and other websites which may be of interest.

Total number of young adults aged 15 to 34 years and total number of young adults aged 20 to 34 years in the UK living with their parents.

This report contains results from the latest survey of secondary school pupils in England in years 7 to 11 (mostly aged 11 to 15), focusing on smoking, drinking and drug use. It covers a range of topics including prevalence, habits, attitudes, and wellbeing. In 2023 the survey was administered online for the first time, instead of paper-based surveys as in previous years. This move online also meant that completion of the survey could be managed through teacher-led sessions, rather than being conducted by external interviewers. The 2023 survey also introduced additional questions relating to pupils wellbeing. These included how often the pupil felt lonely, felt left out and that they had no-one to talk to. Results of analysis covering these questions have been presented within parts of the report and associated data tables. The report includes this summary report showing key findings, excel tables with more detailed outcomes, technical appendices and a data quality statement. An anonymised record level file of the underlying data on which users can carry out their own analysis will be made available via the UK Data Service in early 2025 (see link below).

This report presents findings from the third (wave 3) in a series of follow up reports to the 2017 Mental Health of Children and Young People (MHCYP) survey, conducted in 2022. The sample includes 2,866 of the children and young people who took part in the MHCYP 2017 survey. The mental health of children and young people aged 7 to 24 years living in England in 2022 is examined, as well as their household circumstances, and their experiences of education, employment and services and of life in their families and communities. Comparisons are made with 2017, 2020 (wave 1) and 2021 (wave 2), where possible, to monitor changes over time.

This graph shows the resident population projection of young people in the United Kingdom from 2020 to 2050, by age group. There is expected to be an overall growth in the numbers of young people, however certain age groups are expected to fall in number, such as those aged from 25 to 29 and 30 to 34 years.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Mental Health of Children and Young People Surveys (MHCYP) series provides data about the mental health of young people living in Great Britain.

The MHCYP was first carried out in 1999, capturing information on 5 to 15-year-olds. It was conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of the Department of Health (now known as the Department of Health and Social Care, or DHSC), The Scottish Health Executive and the National Assembly for Wales. The following survey in the series was conducted in 2002 and focused on children looked after by their local authority. The third survey was conducted in 2004 and collected information from 5 to 16-year-olds. Follow-ups to this survey were conducted after 6 months and again after 3 years.

NHS Digital commissioned the 2017 survey on behalf of the DHSC. It collected information on 2 to 19-year-olds living in England. The survey was carried out by a consortium led by NatCen Social Research, which included the ONS and Youth In Mind.

The MHCYP 2020 survey was a Wave 1 follow-up to the 2017 survey and was conducted under the COVID-19 Public Health Directions 2020, as directed by the then Secretary of State for Health. The Wave 2 follow-up was conducted in 2021, and Wave 3 in 2022.

Further information can be found on the NHS Digital Mental Health of Children and Young People Surveys webpage.

A similar series covering adults, the Adult Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity, is also commissioned by NHS Digital.

The Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2022 (MHCYP) study is the third in a series of follow up surveys to the MHCYP 2017, exploring the mental health of children and young people in England. The 2022 follow up survey was carried out by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), the Office for National Statistics (ONS), University of Cambridge and University of Exeter, was funded by a grant from the UK Research and Innovation (CVR&I 472) and the Department of Health and Social Care, and commissioned by NHS England (formerly NHS Digital, who merged with NHS England on 1st February 2023).

The three main aims of MHCYP 2022 were:

• To compare the likelihood of probable mental disorder in 6 to 16 year olds and 17 to 19 year olds in 2017 with that of 6 to 16 year olds and 17 to 19 year olds in 2020 and 2021, overall and by subgroup (age, sex and ethnic group). Describe other aspects of children and young people’s health in 2021 including on, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), long-term physical health conditions and possible eating problems (and compare with any comparable data available).
• To describe the wider circumstances and experiences of children and young people during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic focusing on February and March 2021 and the preceding months, including comparisons with 2017 and 2020 where data were available.
• To present more detailed data on the mental health, circumstances and experiences of children and young people by ethnic group during the coronavirus pandemic.

This is the second (wave 2) in a series of follow up reports to the Mental Health and Young People Survey (MHCYP) 2017, exploring the mental health of children and young people in February/March 2021, during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and changes since 2017. Experiences of family life, education, and services during the COVID-19 pandemic are also examined. The sample for the Mental Health Survey for Children and Young People, 2021 (MHCYP 2021), wave 2 follow up was based on 3,667 children and young people who took part in the MHCYP 2017 survey, with both surveys also drawing on information collected from parents. Cross-sectional analyses are presented, addressing three primary aims: Aim 1: Comparing mental health between 2017 and 2021 – the likelihood of a mental disorder has been assessed against completion of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in both years in Topic 1 by various demographics. Aim 2: Describing life during the COVID-19 pandemic - Topic 2 examines the circumstances and experiences of children and young people in February/March 2021 and the preceding months, covering: COVID-19 infection and symptoms. Feelings about social media use. Family connectedness. Family functioning. Education, including missed days of schooling, access to resources, and support for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Changes in circumstances. How lockdown and restrictions have affected children and young people’s lives. Seeking help for mental health concerns. Aim 3: Present more detailed data on the mental health, circumstances and experiences of children and young people by ethnic group during the coronavirus pandemic (where sample sizes allow). The data is broken down by gender and age bands of 6 to 10 year olds and 11 to 16 year olds for all categories, and 17 to 22 years old for certain categories where a time series is available, as well as by whether a child is unlikely to have a mental health disorder, possibly has a mental health disorder and probably has a mental health disorder. This study was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, commissioned by NHS Digital, and carried out by the Office for National Statistics, the National Centre for Social Research, University of Cambridge and University of Exeter.

In the United Kingdom (UK), the share of young people who have had experiences of feeling down or depressed has in general increased from 2009 to 2021. In 2021, ** percent of the respondents reported feeling down or depressed, a significant increase from ** percent in 2010.

Quarterly estimates for young people (aged 16 to 24 years) who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) in the UK. These are official statistics in development.

As of March 2023, 50.7 percent of young people aged eight to 18 years old read printed fiction, whereas reading fiction on a screen was done by around a quarter of survey participants. By contrast, UK children and adolescents preferred to read news and song lyrics on a screen.

Annual age-standardised mortality rates for causes considered avoidable, treatable and preventable in England and Wales for children and young people (aged 0 to 19 years), 2001 to 2023.

There were approximately 923,00 young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET) in the United Kingdom in the first quarter of 2025, compared with 987,000 in the previous quarter.

The 2010 survey was conducted as part of a collaborative project by The Children's Society and the University of York. Data were gathered from just under 5,500 children aged 8-15, in school years 4, 6, 8 and 10, via surveys conducted in schools in England. The survey was part of an ongoing research programme, the aims of which were (a) to develop a better understanding of the concept of well-being as it relates to children, taking full account of the perspectives of children themselves; (b) to develop and validate self-report measures of children's well-being; and (c) to use these measures to identify the reasons for variations in children's subjective well-being and to monitor trends over time. The first survey in the series covered 10-15 year olds and was conducted in 2008 (see SN 7898), and a later survey was conducted in 2013-2014 (SN 7910). The 2010 survey was used to compile the Children's Society's 'Good Childhood' 2012 report.

Approximately 42 percent of young adults aged between 15 and 34 lived with their parents in the United Kingdom in 2023, or around 6.92 million people, which was a decline on the previous year.