EXTENSIVE YOUTH DATA SHOWS MENTAL HEALTH #1 CONCERN, YET KIDS ARE HAPPY, HOPEFUL AND HELPING THOSE IN NEED
Boys & Girls Clubs of America Releases Two New Surveys of More Than 143,000 Combined Youth Including Teens & Tweens, Revealing Their State of Mind and Thoughts on Society, Health & Wellbeing, Helping Others, Education and Their Futures
Summary of Surveys’ Findings
The 2024 Youth Right Now survey of more than 140,000 young people ages 9-18, and the 2024 Youth Right Now Teen & Tween Spotlight survey of nearly 3,000 youth ages 10-18 conducted by Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the largest youth development services nonprofit in the nation, identifies mental health as the biggest issue today’s generation faces. It is also the number one issue youth say they’re most likely to change. The vast majority (95%) are confident that if they try their best they can do most things and they are hopeful about the future. More than half (67%) have post-secondary education plans, and 25% are interested in starting their own businesses.
Youth Right Now Teen & Tween Spotlight Survey Highlights:
Social Concerns& Ability to Make a Difference
- The top issues teens and tweens are concerned about are mental health (33%), freedom of speech (24%), racial justice (21%), women’s rights (20%), and community violence (20%). *
- While mental health is their #1 concern/issue and feelings of anxiety and being overwhelmed are still significant, the majority report always or often feeling happy (72%), motivated (61%), and hopeful (61%).
- Teens and tweens believe their generation will make the most difference in mental health (23%), LGBTQ+ issues (17%), freedom of speech (15%), climate change (15%), and community violence (15%). *
Careers
- Teens and tweens are most interested in jobs where they can be creative (39%), inspire others (29%) help or provide a service to people (27%), start a business (25%), and serve their community (24%). *
- Teens and tweens say the biggest barriers they have faced or anticipate facing when looking for a job include not knowing where to start (39%), finding a job (28%) and transportation (26%).
Youth Right Now Survey Highlights:
Coping Skills, Empathy & Leadership
- 18% of youth report being cyberbullied within the past 12 months yet only 45% of those who were cyberbullied told an adult about it.
- 80% of youth know techniques for calming themselves down.
- 95% of youth say if they try their best, they can do most things.
- 93% of youth say they can work with people who are different than them.
- 68% of youth say they can communicate their emotions and feelings through art.
- 85% of youth have done things to help people in their community.
- 94% of youth try to help when they see people in need.
- When addressing challenges, if something goes wrong in their lives, 92% of youth try to figure out how to do better next time, and 80% talk about it with someone to understand what happened.
- 75% of youth feel they are skilled at organizing a team of their peers to complete a project, and 88% say if they are the leader of a group, they ensure all team members feel important.
Gen Alpha and Gen Z are College-bound, Focused on Scholarships
Despite FAFSA and college debt-related issues, which have made headline news:
- 89% of high school seniors have applied to post-secondary education, with 75% applying for a four-year college or university. 74% of youth ages 9-12 believe they will attend college.
- 17% of high school students will look to attend vocational school, two-year community college, tech college, or a career prep program.
- Aware of steep college costs and debt, 63% of high school seniors applied for scholarships in 2020 and 75% are applying in 2024.
- 89% of seniors have applied to post-secondary education, with 75% applying for a four-year college or university.
Career Interests
- STEM is a big draw for youth: 79% say they want to learn more about science, computers, or technology.
- 95% of 11th and 12th graders say they know what education or training they’ll need for the career they want.
Out-of-School Time Programs Offer Powerful Emotional & Social Support
- Approx. three quarters (74%) of youth say when they have problems with their peers, they talk to adults about it.
- 86% of youth say they can stand up for what they think is right, even if their friends disagree.
Methodology
The Youth Right Now survey contains data points from Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth Outcomes Initiative Member Survey. This data was collected over an 8-week period beginning in February 2024, representing more than 140,000 kids ages 9-18 at more than 3,600 Boys & Girls Clubs. Youth take the survey via computers on-site at Boys & Girls Clubs across the nation.
This survey and data set is owned and conducted annually by Boys & Girls Clubs of America, with a dedicated Measurement & Data Operations division aggregating and finalizing data to provide at the national level to Boys & Girls Clubs of America and local level to all Club participants.
The Youth Right Now Teen & Tween Spotlight survey is comprised of responses from 2,985 Boys & Girls Club teens and tweens from 46 states and the District of Columbia collected between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. For data noted with an asterisk, teens and tweens were allowed to select multiple answers; because of this, the percentages provided reflect the proportion of respondents who selected each of those answers.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
