Mental health and wellbeing

Covid Social Mobility & Opportunities Study -
Poor mental health among young people (aged 16 and 17) has increased by more than a quarter since 2017, according to this research. This briefing explores the mental health and wellbeing of a sample of almost 13,000 young people across England who were in Year 11 in 2021. It finds that almost half (44 per cent) of young people were above the threshold for ‘probable mental ill health’, using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), indicating high levels of psychological distress. This has increased dramatically from 35 per cent in 2017 and 23 per cent in 2007 (from previous cohort studies looking at similar ages), pointing to a decline in the mental health and wellbeing of young people, likely accelerated by the pandemic.

• Briefing
• Covid Social Mobility & Opportunities Study - press release