Survey of half a million children finds most are happy with their life

21 September 2021

More than half a million children were surveyed for the Children's Commissioner for England's Big Answer report PHOTO Adobe Stock

Despite the effects of the pandemic, children in England are happy, and optimistic, reveals the biggest survey of four- to- 17-year-olds.

Of the more than half a million (557,077) children surveyed by the Children’s Commissioner’s office, 94 per cent of six- to eight-year-olds said they are happy with their life overall, falling to 71 per cent of nine-to-17-year-olds.

However, this finding follows research by The Children’s Society last month that revealed while children had coped relatively well with the pandemic, around a quarter of a million ten – to – 17-year-olds have struggled.

It finds that across all age groups, ethnicities and household incomes, the things they care about the most are their mental and physical health, things to do in their local area, school life and progress in education.

Of those who said they are unhappy, 70 per cent were unhappy with their mental health. Girls were twice as likely to say this than boys.

More than half of children from deprived areas said leaving school with a good education was one of their most important priorities.

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