09 January 2009
By Julie Read
The Prince's Trust has called for greater mental health support for young people after a poll showed that one in ten young adults said they felt life was meaningless.
Polling firm YouGov questioned 2,004 people aged 16 to 25 online in October. Of those questioned, 29% said they were less happy now than they were as a child and one in five said they felt like crying 'often' or 'always'. Almost half (47%) said they regularly suffered from stress.
Paul Brown, of the Prince's Trust, said the study showed there were thousands of young people who 'desperately' needed support. He added: 'Often young people who feel they have reached rock bottom don't know where to turn for help.'
The feelings of negativity among those who took part in the survey were higher among those not in work, education or training.
The study showed that relationships with family and friends were most important to levels of happiness although health, money and work were also relevant.
A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: 'The government wants to make this the best country in the world to grow up in, and the Children's Plan sets out how we will do this with more support for families, world-class schools, exciting things for young people to do outside school, and more places for children to play.'
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