The charity found that the proportion of girls who describe themselves as very happy fell from two in five in 2009 to just under one in six in 2023.
The steepest decline is among seven- to 10-year-olds. While almost three in five said they were very happy in 2009, by 2023 this proportion had fell to almost three in ten.
Anxiety levels have also increased among girls since the Covid-19 pandemic. While in 2016 almost four in five seven- to 21-year-old girls and women felt anxious and worried, this increases to just under nine in 10 in 2023.
Online harms, sexual harassment and their appearance are among reasons for girls to feel anxious, Girlguiding found.
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