Britain is home to some of the brightest and most ambitious young people in the world, yet across education, employment, housing and health, they are being let down.
See how young people are faring in your local area, and add your name to our open letter calling on the Government to start Backing Young Britain.
Net emigration of 16–34 year olds in 2025. Top destinations: Dubai, Australia, Canada.
Young people were told a degree was the ticket to a good life. Instead, many were handed a financial anchor before they had even started. The total outstanding student loan balance is forecast to exceed £500 billion.
Both routes are broken. Graduates face a market where entry-level jobs demand years of experience, and non-graduates are offered apprenticeships that have been hollowed out by employer gatekeeping. Hard work was supposed to be enough.
No, they're not spending all their disposable income on avocados and Netflix. The average house-price-to-income ratio has tripled since the early 1990s, locking an entire generation out of ownership.
Buying
In England, the median house price was 7.6x the median salary in 2025, up from 3.5x in 1997.
In the UK, average monthly rent for 1 bedroom in a 2 bed flat (before bills) was £610 in 2025, up 61% versus 2010. This represents 26% of a median 22–29 year old’s take-home pay.
House Building
In England, 208,600 net additional dwellings were added in 2024-25, 56% of the government target of 370,000.
Living at Home
In England, there were 3.6 million 16–34 year olds living at home with their parents in 2024, up 1.05M since 2005.
One in five children and young people now has a diagnosable mental health condition. Referrals have surged. Wait times have ballooned. And the safety net — overstretched, underfunded — was designed for a different era.
Mental health condition prevalence (age 7–24)
2017
17.5%
2023
25.8%
12 months+
Average NHS wait time for mental health treatment for young people. A year of suffering before help arrives — if it arrives. Many give up and fall through the cracks entirely.
NHS Digital / Mind, 2025
25.8%
Of 7–24 year olds with a probable mental health disorder in 2023, up from 17.5% in 2017. Not a blip. Not a phase. A structural crisis in the mental health of an entire generation.
NHS Digital
£2.9 trillion
UK national debt. Who inherits this debt? The generation already carrying £500 billion in student loans, locked out of housing, and waiting a year for mental health support.
ONS Public Sector Finances, 2026
"A country that loses the faith of its next generation doesn't just lose an argument. It loses its future."
Backing Young Britain
Sign the petition
We are calling for a Commissioner for Young People and a mandatory Generational Impact Assessment on all major policy. Add your name to demand structural change.
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