This report by the Education Policy Institute explores neighbourhood trends in young people’s wellbeing in Greater Manchester. 37,713 young people in years 8 and 10 (aged 12-13 and 14-15) attending schools in the Greater Manchester Combined Authority took part.
Improving young people’s mental health and wellbeing is a stated priority for education and health policymakers. There is increasing recognition of the importance of mental health and wellbeing in childhood and adolescence for educational attainment, mental health in adulthood, and associated outcomes including employment, earnings, relationships, and life expectancy.
Young people’s wellbeing is a product of much more than access to support services – drivers of wellbeing include
physical health, health behaviours and habits; relationships with family and peers, including negative experiences of bullying and discrimination; the built and social environment in which children live; and the impact of wider policies and inequalities, including benefits reform and poverty levels. This is reflected in the survey, which was co-designed
by young people in Greater Manchester.
This report provides early indications of the impact of neighbourhood characteristics on young people’s wellbeing and wellbeing-related outcomes in 2021/22.
Key Findings:
- Young people’s wellbeing and affect appear to be slightly negatively affected by higher levels of income disparities in their area, while their life satisfaction is not. Income and health deprivation were not found to be significantly related to wellbeing scores at the neighbourhood level; this could be related to any significant differences at LSOA–level being diluted at a larger, neighbourhood level.
- More health deprived areas were associated with fewer young people reporting good health and more young people reporting experiences of discrimination related to a disability.
- Neighbourhood crime risk was associated with fewer young people reporting they felt safe or that people in their area were trustworthy.
- A higher density of sports facilities was associated with better self–reported physical health, higher engagement with physical activity, and more young people reporting there were things to do in their free time.
- A higher density of charities serving children and young people was weakly related to higher wellbeing at the neighbourhood level.