What UK teenagers think in 2025
For the third year running, Survation has partnered with BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Bitesize to take the pulse of UK teenagers. The findings aren’t just numbers on a page, they are centre-stage in the BBC’s flagship Teen Summit 2025, a live event and broadcast from Bradford bringing together young people, experts, and influencers to debate the big questions of teenage life.
Teenagers are navigating a world of huge opportunity and huge pressure. Survation’s survey for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Bitesize captures a snapshot of their lives: hopeful about the future, yet weighed down by anxiety; digitally switched on, yet exposed to risks and divisions.
Hope for the future.
The mood is not all doom and gloom, far from it. Nearly eight in ten (79%) teenagers say they feel positive about their future, the highest since the survey began three years ago. But the optimism isn’t evenly shared. Black teenagers (94%) are the most hopeful, while only 62% of disabled teens feel the same. Class and household income also shape the outlook: affluence breeds confidence, while those from working-class backgrounds are less sure.
School divides opinion. Black (87%) and Asian (84%) teens enjoy school far more than their white peers (71%). Again, class is a marker: 82% of middle-class teenagers like school, compared with 65% of working-class teenagers. For some, classrooms are places of opportunity, for others, of pressure and disconnection.
The Weight of Worry
Anxiety is everywhere. Almost three-quarters of girls (74%) say they feel anxious at least some of the time, compared with 64% of boys. The numbers are even starker for teenagers with disabilities, more than nine in ten report feeling anxious, and 58% have sought professional mental-health support. Exams and grades top the stress list, particularly for Black and Asian students.
Safety and Harassment
Most teenagers (64%) feel safe walking alone, but that masks deep inequalities. Nearly four in ten girls don’t feel safe, compared with one in five boys. Harassment is a common story: one in five teens report sexual harassment in the street, with girls three times more likely than boys to be affected.
Life Online
The digital world is inescapable. Gaming is near-universal (95%), with 99% of boys and 91% of Girls. Half of teens have come across conspiracy theories, and one in five have received unwanted sexual images, with girls and Black teenagers reporting this most often. Meanwhile, AI has entered classrooms by stealth: nearly half (47%) have used it for homework, but usage skews towards professional households (58%) compared with working-class ones (30%).
A Generation of Contrasts
This is a generation plugged in and opinionated, open to the future yet carrying heavy concerns. They are united in some experiences, but divided sharply by race, class, gender and disability. Above all, they are shaping and being shaped by a world that moves faster than ever.
Why It Matters
By putting young people’s voices at the heart of the conversation, the BBC is amplifying Survation’s findings far beyond a data table. The results are informing live debates, shaping new wellbeing resources, and helping tens of thousands of teenagers see their own experiences reflected back in national media.
Survation’s Role
This project shows the power of robust, representative research when paired with major public service broadcasters. Survation’s polling is not only trusted by the BBC, it is helping them create programming, resources, and live events that resonate with teenagers and their families.
Methodology.
Survation conducted an online survey of UK teenagers aged 13-18 years old on behalf of BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Bitesize. Data were weighted to the profile of people aged 13-18 living in the UK, weighted by age, sex, and region. Fieldwork was conducted between 24th June – 1st July 2025. Tables are available here.
If you are interested in commissioning youth research for your organisation, please get in contact with tom.clifford@survation.com
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