NUS survey reveals parents’ fears for young people

Four out of five parents fear their children will leave home later than they did, in a sign of the deepening gloom about the country’s economic prospects. A new YouGov survey reveals widespread anxiety over the future, with 79% confessing to concerns over when the new generation will spread their wings.

Three quarters of parents (73%) with children aged 18 and under worry that the future for the next generation is bleak. Only 16% of parents believed there would be more opportunities for their children than they enjoyed.

The survey of 2,025 adults, of which 478 were parents with children aged 18 and under, also found that 67% believe the government’s policies have made it harder for young people to go to university. Liam Burns, president of the national union of students, which commissioned the research, said: “Politicians who took advantage of the opportunities that education brings have pulled the ladder up after them and left the next generation stranded.

“Students from across the country will be marching through London on Wednesday to protest against a government which has disempowered a generation by abdicating its responsibility to ensure access to education and employment.”

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Of all those surveyed, parents and non-parents, two in three people (64%) say the economy will be the biggest factor in how they vote followed by immigration and asylum (41%), health (32%) and tax (27%). The figures are largely similar when the question was asked of just parents.

Source: The guardian