Young people from DofE call on new government to put youth voices at heart of policy-making

Young people from The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) are calling on the new government to back a Youth Pledge committing to give young people a meaningful say on policy decisions that affect them – as the charity’s new research shows young people feel politicians don’t listen to them or share their priorities.

The call comes as the DofE publishes Youth Voices 2024 – a major research study of more than 3,000 14-24 year olds from across the UK, seeking their views on the issues that matter most to them politically and personally. The research was conducted by consultancy Thinks Insight & Strategy and involved a large survey as well as an in-depth online community.

The research reveals that the cost of housing (38%), NHS (37%), cost of living (37%), and mental health (33%) ranked highest when respondents were asked which political issues were most important to them personally. However, young people felt these areas were among those seen as being least important by politicians – mental health (22%), cost of housing (21%), the NHS (12%) and employment opportunities (12%)*.

In addition to the perceived disconnect between their own priorities and those of politicians, young people feel overwhelmed by the transition to adulthood and expect more support to prepare them for the future. They also feel they are listened to the least in society. Two thirds of 14-24 year olds (66%) think that politicians in the UK are most likely to listen to those over 35, while just 22% agreed with the phrase “politicians in the UK listen to people of my age”.

In further polling commissioned by the DofE after the 4 July general election, 18-24 year olds told us that their priorities didn’t get the airtime they thought they deserved. They said ‘too little attention’ was given to mental health (56%), employment opportunities (60%) and climate change (44%) and they ‘would have liked to have heard more about these issues from politicians.’ The majority of 18-24 year olds (45%) also felt young people’s voices weren’t represented in the political debates in the run-up to polling day.

In response to the research, DofE Award holders today personally delivered a letter to 10 Downing Street, calling on the new government and parliamentarians to respond to the disconnect and disillusion felt by young people by backing a Youth Pledge – a commitment to introduce a clear process to ensure that youth voices are factored into all levels of policy and decision-making over the coming years.

Poppy, 19, a Bronze, Silver, and Gold DofE Award holder from Beverley, was among one of the young people who delivered the letter to Number 10. She said: “For too long, young people like me have been shut out of the conversation and having our views overlooked by adults who are making decisions that will affect the rest of our lives. Our views and experiences matter too, and politicians can learn from what we have to say.

“As a new government takes office, they have a fresh opportunity to reassure young people that they are listening to our hopes, concerns and priorities. Policy makers must consult us on decisions that affect us. We are the future of this country and we deserve a seat at the table.”

Youth Voices 2024, published today by The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, also found that:

• Young people don’t feel politicians pay attention to supporting them with the issues that affect them most in their personal lives, with majorities agreeing that politicians don’t pay attention to:?being able to afford a house in the future (63%), getting a good job they enjoy (55%) and their mental health (53%)***.
• When asked what political issues young people are most optimistic about, education (52%), public transport (51%) and gender equality (50%) came out on top.
• They are most interested in global social issues like climate change and human rights (73%).
• While young people are optimistic about academic and professional success, they are most pessimistic about the cost of housing (63%), economy / cost-of-living (62%), international conflicts (60%), and poverty and economic inequality (57%).
• Young people in general are pessimistic about the economy, but particularly those entering adulthood – only 30% of 22-24 year olds hold any optimism about the economy.
• While being able to afford a home is a top priority for 36% of young people, almost half (48%) are pessimistic that they can achieve this. This rises to 53% among 22-24 year olds.
• Over 18s were notably more concerned about mental health, with 37% saying they were pessimistic versus 25% of those aged 14-17.

Ruth Marvel OBE, CEO, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE), said: “Our findings clearly show that young people are ambitious for their own futures, but they continue to feel unheard and unsupported on the issues that will define their lives and careers.

“The new government must use this moment to acknowledge that disconnect and prove they’re listening by giving young people meaningful opportunities to be consulted on policy decisions that affect them, including through youth networks, youth-led organisations, the UK Youth Parliament and local youth partnerships and policy networks. Young people are this country’s future and should have a say on decisions that will fundamentally impact the rest of their lives.”

Youth Voices 2024 can be read in full here.

• The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) commissioned Thinks Insight & Strategy, an independent research agency, to conduct a mixed methods research project with 3,662 (survey: 3,644 and online community: 18) 14-24 year olds from across the UK between 28 February and 14 March 2024.
• Respondents are aged 14-24 – reflecting the age range of young people supported by the DofE charity.
• **Young people were asked 1) to select the issues most important to them and then 2) to select the issues they thought were most important to politicians – this statistic is the difference between the two.
• ***These figures relate to the percentage of respondents who perceived politicians to pay ‘little or no attention’ to the issues affecting their personal lives. Associated data on page 47 of Youth Voices 2024 relate to the difference between those young people saying “a lot/some” against those saying “ little/ none”.
• An online community is an asynchronous form of qualitative engagement where participants respond predominantly individually.