New Survey Paints Stark Picture of Life as a Parent of Young Children in Great Britain - UNICEF UK

*UNICEF UK spokespeople available for interview, regional data and multimedia package available, including interviews with parents impacted by the issues in this release*

• 70% of parents surveyed said being a parent is getting harder each year.
• 78% said that the rising cost of living is negatively impacting their family (up 12% from last year’s survey).
• 66% said they were worried about their child’s future life chances.
• 50% said they cannot afford to give their child(ren) the life they want to.
• 61% said they have struggled with their mental health since becoming a parent.

London, 11 September 2023 – Results of a new YouGov survey, commissioned by the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) released today, reveal that 70% of parents with babies and young children feel it is getting harder every year to be a parent in Britain, with 70% feeling that being a parent today is harder than it was for their parent’s generation.

The rising cost of living (83%) is the most common reason parents feel it is harder to be a parent now. More than two thirds (68%) of parents feel it is harder due to a lack of childcare, less time to spend with their children (64%), and fewer local support services (41%). Parents also said that the cost of housing (78%) and dangers of social media (75%) were making parenting for their generation harder.

The charity conducted the survey amid escalating concerns for families and the potential impact on babies and young children’s development and builds on research from last year for its flagship campaign, Early Moments Matter.

In the survey of parents of 0–4-year-olds in Great Britain, two thirds (68%) of respondents believe that the Government is not doing enough to support them as parents of young children.

Jon Sparkes Chief Executive of UNICEF UK, said “This lack of support for families falls at a critical stage in babies and young children’s development, threatening life chances and piling more and more pressure on families.”

Of those surveyed, 30% of parents reported working more hours in the past year due to increased financial pressures, with 37% having less time to read, play, and cook healthy meals with their child(ren).

This paints a worsening and worrying picture of morale amongst parents with 78% reporting that the rising cost of living has negatively impacted their family life (rising from 2.36 million in 2022 to 3.12 million in 2023*) and 61% saying they have struggled with their mental health since becoming a parent.

The survey is the latest from UNICEF UK’s Early Moments Matter campaign, which is calling on the UK Government to step up support for children under 5 and their families, and improve early childhood services across the country by committing to a national Baby and Toddler Guarantee.  The campaign calls have been backed by more than 80 leading charities, experts in early childhood development, and UNICEF Ambassadors.

What worries parents across Britain?

• Rising cost of living: Families negatively impacted by the cost of living are making financial decisions that affect their children by cutting back on activities like playgroups and sports clubs (56%), reducing their spending on books, toys or crafting materials (50%), as 71% of parents overall said their family budget is stretched to the limit.
• Their children’s futures: 66% of parents surveyed said they were worried about their child’s future life chances, 50% said they cannot afford to give their child(ren) the life they want to, and 71% said they are struggling to put any savings aside for their child’s future.
• Mental health: 61% reported to have struggled with their mental health since becoming a parent. Many have said in the last year that they had felt overwhelmed (49%), anxious (43%), unsupported (36%) and lonely (26%) all or a lot of the time.
• Shifts in society making parenting more difficult: 70% of parents with children under 5 years said they felt that every year if feels harder to be a parent in this country. Reasons parents gave for this include the cost of living is higher now (83%), that parents have less time to spend with their children now (64%), there is a lack of affordable and accessible childcare now (68%), less help from family/friends now (50%), and fewer local support services now (41%).

The research also highlighted stark inequalities, with 94% of the poorest households reporting that the cost-of-living crisis has negatively impacted family life (compared to 78% of all parents with young children), and 85% reporting that they are worried about their child’s future life chances. These parents are also more likely to be struggling with their mental health (74% compared to 61% of all parents with young children) and least likely to have received support for their mental health (58% compared to 42% of all income groups surveyed).

Parents also told UNICEF UK anonymously: ‘Previously people could survive on one household income, now we have two and it is barely enough’, and another respondent said: ‘there are less community support spaces, places like Sure Start centres are really missed.’

Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of UNICEF UK, said: “These findings provide a stark snapshot into the reality for many families with babies and young children right now – worried for their children’s future, struggling to make ends meet and left feeling anxious, alone, and unsupported.

“It is vitally important, that families can access basic services like maternity care, health visits, mental health support, affordable and high-quality childcare and support for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). These services, whilst essential for all, can provide a lifeline for families struggling financially and/or with their mental health.

“The fact that it’s the most disadvantaged families who are struggling more and who are least likely to have accessed support, means we risk cementing inequalities in children’s lives before they’ve even picked up a pencil. The UK Government’s Start for Life initiative seeks to improve support for babies and young children, but its funding does little to address the growing shortfalls in essential services. Urgent Government action is needed to address the gaps to stop families slipping through the net and to safeguard our babies and children’s futures.”

UNICEF UK’s Early Moments Matter is calling on the UK Government to introduce a National Baby and Toddler Guarantee which would set out and guarantee the basic services that every young child in the UK is entitled to – whoever they are and wherever they are born. This would mean that families know what support they are entitled to and can access the right services for their baby’s health, well-being, and early education, right from the start.

ENDS

*Figures calculated by UNICEF UK

Notes to editors:

For further information, or to receive the multimedia package, please contact:

Clare Quarrell, [email protected], 07393 147 566

Sophie Brady, [email protected], 07715 863 579

UNICEF UK Media Team, [email protected], 0207 375 6030

UNICEF UK’s Early Moments Matter campaign
Every child has the right to be as healthy as they can be, to learn, and to develop to their full potential. But the Government hasn’t put them first. There’s no national plan for early childhood. Local authorities are left to make impossible choices. No matter how hard health and childcare professionals work, they can’t cover everyone’s needs. It means the support available to parents and carers now depends on where they live. This isn’t right.

We’re campaigning for the UK Government to deliver a National Baby and Toddler Guarantee, because #EarlyMomentsMatter. Find out more about the campaign, what’s included in the Guarantee or sign the petition here.

About the research conducted by YouGov
UNICEF UK commissioned a nationally representative survey of 2661 parents of children aged 0-4 years living in Great Britain. Data tables are available on request.

About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.

The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) raises funds for UNICEF’s emergency and development work for children. We also promote and protect children’s rights in the UK and internationally. We are a UK charity, entirely funded by supporters.

United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK), Registered Charity No. 1072612 (England & Wales), SC043677 (Scotland).

For more information visit unicef.org.uk. Follow UNICEF UK on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.