State of the Nation 2022: Children and Young People’s Wellbeing

This government report collates and analyses published evidence about the wellbeing of children and young people over the academic year September 2021 to July 2022.

The wellbeing of children and young people has been a focus of Government policy for a number of years. The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has further emphasised the importance of supporting our children and young people’s wellbeing.

Over the past year, schools and colleges have returned to full-time face-to-face teaching and formal examinations have resumed, supported by the Department for Education’s education recovery programme. As the focus has shifted beyond the immediate impacts of COVID-19 towards recovery and the future, a range of national and global issues have emerged or come into focus. These include war in Ukraine, the increasing cost of living, concerns over the environment and climate change, and wider social issues.

This report brings together a range of published information from government, academic, voluntary, and private sector organisations to provide a clear narrative for all those interested in the wellbeing of children and young people in England. It provides a shared evidence base for everyone - in government, services, schools & colleges, parents & families, communities, and employers - to reflect upon and deliver better wellbeing outcomes for all children and young people.

Key Findings:

• Children and young people’s subjective wellbeing, measured annually, appears to have dipped in 2020 and recovered close to pre-pandemic levels by 2021, remaining at similar levels in 2022. During the 2021/22 academic year, while wellbeing on most measures remained consistent, anxiousness among both primary and secondary-age pupils appears to have increased and is higher than in 2020/21.
• The percentage of children and young people reporting low happiness with their health appears to have increased in recent years. Rates of probable mental disorders and eating problems remain at elevated levels compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.
• While rates of probable mental disorder among younger age groups have remained consistent in recent years, amongst 17- to 19-year-olds, the percentage had increased to one in four in 2022, up from 1 in 6 in 2021. Rates of eating problems and self-harm were also higher in older age groups. Primary aged boys were more likely to have a probable mental disorder than primary aged girls whereas older young women were more likely to have a probable mental disorder than older young men. There was no difference by sex among secondary-aged children and young people for likelihood of a probable mental disorder.
• At primary level, children in year 6s have consistently been more likely to be obese than those of reception age. Rates of obesity among year 6s remain higher than before the pandemic.
• In 2022, those who regularly struggled with sleep were more likely to have a mental disorder. Sleep problems were more prevalent in older children and young people, specifically young women.
• Most secondary-age children and young people reported being motivated to learn, were managing to concentrate in class, felt safe at school, enjoyed being at school, and felt that they belonged at school.
• While children and young people’s happiness with school has remained at a similar level to previous years on average, the percentage of those reporting low happiness with school appears to have increased.
• Boys continue to score higher on measures related to their experience of school, including happiness with school, enjoying coming to school, feeling safe in school, motivation, concentration, and school belonging. Pupils who were eligible for free school meals were less likely to report being motivated to learn, being able to concentrate in class, feeling safe in school, and having a strong sense of belonging at school, compared to those not eligible for free school meals.
• Differences in other groups were less consistent across measures. Pupils from an ethnic minority background were more likely to report being motivated to learn, managing to concentrate in class, and enjoying coming to school than white pupils. Pupils with SEN were more likely to report low happiness with school compared to those without. Pupils with SEN were more likely to report having difficulty concentrating in class, compared those without SEN.
• The percentage of those reporting low happiness with their family and friends remains at elevated levels compared to before the pandemic.
• Considering children and young people’s happiness with their relationships at school, around 7 in 10 children and young people agreed or strongly agreed that adults at their school were interested in their wellbeing, that there was at least one adult at their school who they could talk to about how they were feeling, and that young people in their school got on well together. However, around a quarter of primary-aged children and around a fifth of secondary aged children reported having been bullied in the previous 12 months when responding in June 2022.
• Boys reported greater happiness with peer and teacher relationships, were more likely to report that young people in their school got on well together and were less likely to report often feeling lonely throughout 2021/22.
• Both primary and secondary-age children with SEN/SEND were more likely than those without SEN to report having been a victim of bullying in the previous 12 months. Rates of bullying victimisation were also higher for those eligible for free school meals compared to those not eligible for free school meals.
• Secondary-age white pupils were more likely to report having been a victim of bullying than pupils from an ethnic minority, though no difference was found for primary pupils.
• Overall, children and young people’s happiness with their time use dropped between 2019 and 2020 during the height of the pandemic but appears to have since recovered and remains at a similar level in 2022 to 2021.
• Rates of participation in extracurricular and physical activity have also increased since 2020/21 academic year with nearly half of children and young people being physically active for at least 60 minutes per day and 8 in 10 reporting having engaged in at least one type of extracurricular activity in summer term of 2022.
• Younger children aged 8- to 11-years-old were more likely than those aged 12- to 15-years-old to have regularly spent time outside in school in the previous week and to indicate high connection to nature.
• Children and young people with families whose annual household income was greater than £50,000 were more likely than those with families whose annual household income was less than £15,000 to have regularly spent time outside in school in the previous week and indicate high connection to nature.
• Most children and young people reported that they felt safe in and like living in their neighbourhood. Most also reported that they felt they could trust people and that there were enough places to play in their neighbourhood. However, concerns about household finances were evident in responses, with around a third of parents and carers reporting that they had struggled with school costs.
• There was also evidence that a sizeable minority of children and young people have had negative experiences with social media, with around one in eight 11- to 16-year-olds and one in seven 17- to 24-year-olds reporting that they have been bullied online.
• Girls and young women were less likely than boys and young men to report that they felt safe using social media, and young women were more likely than young men to report that they had been bullied online.

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