Half of us fear youngsters face bleak future

The Daily Mail’s Education Correspondent cites findings from our social mobility summit polling.

We are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the chances for our young people to succeed in life, a poll has shown.

Many believe youngsters today will be worse off than their parents’ generation as society becomes more unequal, the study by charity the Sutton Trust found.

Just 41 per cent agreed people had equal opportunities to get ahead, compared to 53 per cent who said the same in 2008.

Almost half of the 2,000 adults polled – 46 per cent – said they felt today’s youth would have a worse life than their parents’ generation.

About 29 per cent thought youngsters would have a better life and around 21 per cent thought it would be about the same.

Asked what they thought was needed to help someone get on in life, 70 per cent said knowing the right people was important and 19 per cent said it was essential.

Sutton Trust chairman Sir Peter Lampl, said: ‘The Government should make improving social mobility a priority.

There needs to be a concerted effort to improve early years provision, provide fairer access to schools and universities and address the social barriers which exist.’

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Read the full article here.