Around 254,000 10- to 15-year-olds took part in the survey, which includes a regional breakdown to assess councils’ performance in areas such as improving emotional wellbeing and reducing bullying and substance misuse among young people.
The latest survey, which was carried out last autumn, found that 33 per cent are unhappy, which is up from 31 per cent when the survey was last carried out in Spring 2008.
In terms of support, 64 per cent felt comfortable talking to their parents – down 2 per cent on the previous survey’s findings.
Friends are also becoming less reliable for young people. While 66 per cent said they could talk to a friend about problems, this figure was 71 per cent in the spring 2008 survey.
The survey also revealed a drop in the number of young people attending youth clubs and other organised youth group activities. This was down from 32 per cent to 28 per cent.
Among the positive findings was an increase in the number of young people who are happy with their local parks and outdoor play facilities. Also, young people are less likely to be bullied.
Children’s minister Dawn Primarolo said: "It is disappointing that some young people are reporting that they feel less supported than in previous surveys."
She added that the government was seeking to address this through initiatives such as the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning programme.
This latest Tellus survey is the fourth in the series and was carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research.
