Post-pandemic aspirations: Young people call on the government to invest to secure a better future

Background

With a number of Covid support measures, including the furlough scheme and £20 per week Universal Credit uplift, coming to an end in the Autumn, new research from six women’s organisations: Close the Gap, Engender, Fawcett Society, Northern Ireland Women’s Budget Group,  Women’s Budget Group, and Women’s Equality Network Wales  has found that most young people want the government to invest in order to build a better society. Polling conducted with 18-30 year olds across the UK found high levels of support for investment in the benefit system, social care, green initiatives, and affordable housing.

Access the full research here.

Our research finds that young women have been harder hit by the pandemic than young men in many areas, but that, regardless of gender, young people do not simply want to return to pre-pandemic life but, instead, want the government to invest.

Key areas young people want the government to invest in are:

• 58% of Conservative voters1 want to see investment in the benefit system so that more people have access to Universal Credit, unemployment benefits and sick pay (69% of Labour voters said the same)
• 69% of Conservative voters want to see early education better funded in order to increase the supply of affordable childcare, as do 73% of Labour voters
• 65% of Conservative voters want money spent on social care for older people and disabled people so that it can be free (like the NHS), as do 75% of Labour voters
• 62% of Conservative voters support investment in green initiatives towards a zero-carbon economy (67% of Labour voters)
•  73% of Conservative voters support investment in affordable housing and security for renters (77% of Labour voters)

Access the full research here.