Seven in 10 young people in the Isle of Man are involved in adult-led, out-of-school activities such as youth groups, Scouts, Guides, church groups and sports clubs and 45% of young people use parks and playgrounds at least weekly.
These are among the findings of a 53-question survey – the largest involving young people in the Island – conducted by the Children’s Services Partnership and aimed at 6,800 young people in the 11 to 18 age bracket.
The biennial survey sought young people’s views on a range of issues, including their schooling, social influences, their life outside of school and their aspirations.
Of the under-16s who took part in the survey, three quarters plan to stay on in sixth form or take a course at the Isle of Man College of Further and Higher Education. Sixty per cent of respondents expect to go to university, with only 10% ruling it out.
Turning to their general wellbeing, 77% of respondents said they were happy most of the time, but 25% have considerable worries, ranging from doing well at school, being bullied, having friends and finding a job. Seventy-two per cent say they get sufficient help with their learning and 67% say there’s someone in school from whom they can seek extra help if needed. An overwhelming number of respondents said they would speak to parents or carers (54%) or friends (36%) first over any worries.
Twenty-eight per cent of young people said they were bullied in the past year, which is a slight fall from the last survey. Of those who were bullied, four in five said schools dealt with bullying effectively, also an improvement. Of those who were bullied, 28% said it took place via social media.
The survey ascertained how many young people regularly speak a language other than English at home (13%), how many are disabled in any way (nearly 16%) and whether they care for a relative (5%).
There were questions on aspects of health such as smoking, diet, drinking and sexual health. Eighty-seven per cent of young people said they had never smoked (81% in 2011), only 3.5% being smokers. Half of those responding said they had not drunk alcohol in the three months preceding the survey, with 5% saying they had drunk alcohol on five or more occasions in that time (6% in 2011).
On the subject of diet, 79% eat breakfast most days, with 51% saying they eat five or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day and 46% sweets or crisps most days.
Turning to safety in the community, 97% of young people said they felt safe, 95% said they respected the police, 78% thought police respected them and 89% were confident they would get help from officers if they needed it.
Secondary school students received a postcard inviting them to take part in the online survey and it was advertised at youth centres, libraries and at the Isle of Man College of Further and Higher Education.
A total of 1,477 young people participated, the vast majority of them still at school with a tiny percentage home educated, working or unemployed.
The responses will be used by the Children’s Services Partnership – which consists of the Departments of Health and Social Care, Education and Children, Economic Development, the third sector and the Isle of Man Constabulary – to identify young people’s concerns and plan services.
Ken Callister, Principal Youth Officer at the DEC, said:
‘Not only are we pleased with the numbers responding, there are 552 who said they would be happy to be involved in discussing the issues raised in more detail.
‘We have set-up a Facebook page, The Big Question, and are starting to let young people know what we are doing with the information and we are exploring ways of getting them involved in helping to shape services.’
Ken said:
‘Overall, the survey paints a similar picture to the one we saw in 2011, with some improvements based on what we were told back then. Young people were asking for more information and guidance on sex and relationships and more support was put in place, the amount of bullying has fallen slightly and young people’s respect for the Police has gone up.
‘We know that the vast majority of young people want to do well in school. This is a consistent theme – and that they continue to be positively involved in activities that improve their life chances.
‘However, there are still too many children and young people facing barriers to achievement and wellbeing, which either need to be removed or they need to be equipped with the support, skills and resilience to climb over them.
‘Our expectations as adults that the next generation will do better in school and in life in general adds to the burden of worries our children have to carry and there is a growing concern shown in the survey, and backed by those working with young people, that these worries can manifest themselves as emotional health and wellbeing issues.
‘This is being picked up by the work of the Children’s Services Partnership and actions to intervene early are being put in place. As money gets tighter, agencies that provide support for young people need to be able to target those most in need and the data from this survey, plus the opportunity to talk directly with young people, helps us to identify those who need support.’
Fifteen participants, whose details were drawn at random from those willing to supply a phone number, won an iPad mini, a Galaxy tablet or a £25 voucher.
