Twentysomethings think they have more opportunities than their parents’ generation

Researchers from the Centre of Longitudinal Studies at UCL have discovered that the majority of you are optimistic that you have more opportunities to succeed than your parents had.

The study used your data from the Next Steps Age 25 survey and found that 59% of you reported feeling that you have greater future prospects than previous generations. This outlook seems to be more positive for women (61%) than for men (57%). This upbeat attitude may be the product of the high aspirations your parents have imparted on you, as previously revealed by Next Steps research.

This report also found that despite your confidence in your own futures, many of you were dissatisfied with the labour market and political landscape. More than half (56%) of you weren’t interested in politics, with women (62%) more likely to be engaged than men (50%). The majority of you (64%) also disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement that ‘Britain is a place where hard work is rewarded’.

Despite these challenges, nearly nine in ten (87%) of you were confident in your ability to achieve your goals if you put the effort in, with only a third (32%) believing that success was down to luck.

Lead author, Dr Morag Henderson said: “Despite an increase in living standards and material comforts, today’s young adults face many economic and political challenges. As a result, the formation of identity, perception of opportunity, and political values are likely to vary considerably.

“However, on the whole this generation remains positive, with the majority feeling that their opportunities in life have improved compared to those of their parents.”