Unemployed Young People 'Unhealthy'

Young people in Northern Ireland who are unable to find work could face a lifetime of poorer health and unhappiness, warns a recent report by The Prince's Trust.

The YouGov Youth Index reveals that young people out of work are significantly less happy with their health, friendships and family life than those in work and that nearly one in ten (9%) of the 116 NI young people surveyed 'rarely' or 'never' feel loved.

While 15% say that their life lacks direction, 13% claim to feel down or depressed all or most of the time and 12% feel isolated all or most of the time.

These Northern Ireland results come as part of a UK-wide survey of 2,088 16-to-25-year-olds which suggests that unemployed young people are twice as likely to feel down or depressed than those in work.

They are also more likely to feel ashamed, isolated and unloved more of the time, leading to much more permanent psychological issues.

"Unemployment has a knock-on effect on a young person's self-esteem, their emotional stability and overall wellbeing, and the longer the period a young person is unemployed for, the more likely they are to experience this psychological scarring," said Professor of Economics, David Blanchflower.

"This means an unhappy and debilitated generation of young people which, as a result, becomes decreasingly likely to find work in the future."

A quarter (25%) of all the young people surveyed across the UK report unemployment to be a cause for arguments with parents or other family and 28% claim that unemployment caused them to exercise less, with around one in six of those currently out of work (17%) getting no exercise at all.

One in ten young people (11%) claim that unemployment drove them to drugs or alcohol.

Ian Jeffers, Director of The Prince's Trust in Northern Ireland said: "The implications of youth unemployment stretch beyond the dole queue.

"The emotional affects on young people are profound, long-term and can become irreversible. We must act now to prevent a lost generation of young people before it is too late."

This research comes as youth charity The Prince's Trust announces its new 'Undiscovered' campaign, reaching out to a generation of young people whose talents and prospects have been dashed in the recession.

The new campaign calls for Government, businesses and individuals to help the charity raise £1m a week to support unemployed and disadvantaged young people. More than three in four young people on Prince's Trust schemes move into work, training or education.

See: www.princes-trust.org.uk

(BMcC/GK)