Covid-19 highlights ‘stark inequalities’ for young Londoners, research reveals
Fiona Simpson
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic has “highlighted stark inequalities” for young people living in London, according to a new survey.
Mapping Young London, a survey by the Partnership for Young London, which polled more than 1,600 16- to 24-year-olds revealed the impact of the pandemic on young people’s career choices, housing and mental health as well as divisions over the view of policing in the capital.
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The report shows that 51.4 per cent of those asked said their future employment plans had changed as a result of Covid-19 or lockdown.
“Young people aged between 22 to 25 were more likely to have had their employment affected by the pandemic, this was expected as young people were more likely to have been furloughed or out of work,” the report states.
A further 40 per cent of those asked said that the health crisis had “massively impacted” their housing situation with care leavers and disabled young people being disproportionately affected. Black and Asian young people were twice as likely to seek support with their housing from the local council compared with their white peers, the survey shows.
Meanwhile, eight in 10 young people said their mental health had worsened due to the pandemic.
More than a third (34.4 per cent) of young people polled now fall in the bottom quartile of the World Health Organisation 5-point scale for mental health, indicating they may suffer from depression, the research shows.
Young people who said that Covid-19 had a negative impact on their mental health were far more likely to have lower wellbeing scores, the report adds.
It highlights that more than three-quarters of young people in the capital said the government’s response to the pandemic had been “bad” or “very bad”. Just one in 100 people said the government’s response had been “very good”.
The research also reveals that more than 80 per cent of young people asked said there was still systematic racism in English police forces.
Less than half (47.5 per cent) of young people polled said that they "somewhat", or "mostly", trust the police, compared to around a third (30.8 per cent) who said they distrust or mostly distrust the police.
Black young people were the least likely group to somewhat or mostly trust the police (22.1 per cent), with white young people and Asian young people the most likely (54.7 per cent and 54.2 per cent respectively).
Keith Bottomley, chair of trustees at the Partnership for Young London said: “I really welcome this report which captures so many insights from young Londoners, the data gives a stark overview of the inequalities across our city, it highlights the disproportional impact that Covid-19 has had on young people.
“I strongly feel that all policy makers and practitioners should use this when they are looking at London’s Recovery from the pandemic, we must put young people’s voices at the core of future planning to make sure we create a fairer and more equal London.”