Optimism? It fades away after 16

IF you are wondering what happened to all your teenage dreams, you are far from alone.

For 16 is the time when we feel most optimistic about the future, a survey reveals. However, by the age of 22 a sense of reality has kicked in.

The research for charity Barnardo’s asked 975 people aged 14 to 22 from across all socio-economic backgrounds how positive they felt about their future life chances. They included 211 who feel among the ‘ best- off ’, 389 among the ‘worst-off ’ and 375 in the ‘middle’.

Overall, just under one in ten (9 per cent) aged 14 to 16 agreed ‘people like me don’t have much of a chance in life’, indicating the high level of optimism among that age group no matter what their background. But by 17 to 19, the proportion who felt they don’t have much of a chance in life almost doubled, and the bleak outlook was shared by 21 per cent in the 20 to 22 age group.

More than four out of five in the youngest age group agreed ‘working hard now will help me to get on later in life’ but only two-thirds of 20 to 22-year-olds did so, the Ipsos MORI poll found.

The survey also highlighted how disadvantage affects young people’s outlook.

While 87 per cent of those who perceived themselves as among the best-off believed they would be able to earn enough money to support themselves without relying on benefits, that fell to 59 per cent among those who perceived themselves as among the worst-off. Fewer than half of the worst- off felt they would earn enough money to support a family, compared with three in four of the best-off.

Only a third of the worst-off were confident they would own their own home compared with 69 per cent of the best-off.

The research also revealed that 63 per cent of those who feel they are among the worst-off think they will struggle to get a job even if they do well in school.

Barnardo’s chief executive Javed Khan said: ‘Young people should be full of optimism for their future, but before they’ve even left school they already feel trapped by their circumstances and limited by their life chances. Politicians from all parties champion social mobility – the idea that every child should have the same chance to thrive. But this research suggests this goal is still woefully far off.’