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The Teens' Speech

THE TEENS' SPEECH BLOG

On Christmas Day this year, teenage Britain delivered its own message to the nation. Find out more

16.12.09

How well do you know young people?

Over the last 50 days of The Teens' Speech, we've learned quite a bit about young people in the United Kingdom. Now it's time to check who has been paying attention. Take a deep breath, furrow your brow and dive into our pocket-size teenage Britain quiz. The answers may surprise you. Keep a count of your score and we'll let you know how in tune you really are with the lives of young people. And let us know how you get on in comments.

1. What percentage of pupils overall achieved five GCSEs at grade A*-C?

A. Between 40 and 50%
B. Between 50 and 60%
C. Between 60 and 70%
D. Between 70 and 80%

Click to reveal the answerC - 69.7 per cent of pupils overall achieved five GCSEs at grade A*-C.
(http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0186)

2. What percentage of teenagers think their teachers believe in them?

A. Between 40 and 50%
B. Between 50 and 60%
C. Between 60 and 70%
D. Between 70 and 80%

Click to reveal the answerD - 71% of teenagers thought their teachers believed in them
(http://www.theteensspeech.org.uk/post/you-thought-teenagers-didnt-their-teachers-our-survey-said/)

3. What percentage of children aged 14 are being bullied?

A. Between 10 and 20%
B. Between 20 and 30%
C. Between 30 and 40%
D. Between 40 and 50%

Click to reveal the answerD - 47% of 14 year-olds are bullied
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8357330.stm)

4. What percentage of girls aged 11 to 16 would consider cosmetic surgery to make themselves thinner or prettier?

A. Between 10 and 20%
B. Between 20 and 30%
C. Between 30 and 40%
D. Between 40 and 50%

Click to reveal the answerD - 46% of girls aged 11 to 16, and 50% of girls aged 16 to 21 would consider cosmetic surgery to make themselves thinner or prettier.
(http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/home.aspx)

5. 23% of all deaths of young peopled aged 14-24 are due to...

A. Knife crime
B. Traffic accidents
C. Drug taking
D. Suicide

Click to reveal the answerD - 23% of all deaths of young people aged 14-24 are suicides
(http://www.mind.org.uk/help/research_and_policy/suicide_rates_risks_and_prevention_strategies)

6. How many children in Britain have families with no savings?

A. Under 1 million
B. Between 1 and 2 million
C. Between 3 and 4 million
D. Between 4 and 5 million

Click to reveal the answerD - 4.9m children have families with absolutely no savings
(http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai/hbai2008/chapters.asp)

7. How many British children live in poverty?

A. 1 in 2
B. 1 in 3
C. 1 in 4
D. 1 in 5

Click to reveal the answerB - 1/3 of British children live in poverty
(http://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/why-end-child-poverty/key-facts)

8. What percentage of young offenders are from single-parent families?

A. Between 30 and 40%
B. Between 40 and 50%
C. Between 50 and 60%
D. Between 60 and 70%

Click to reveal the answerD - 70% of young offenders are from lone parent families
(http://www.civitas.org.uk/pubs/experiments.php)

9. 1 in 3 children carry...

A. A knife or gun
B. A mobile phone
C. An mp3 player
D. A book

Click to reveal the answerA - One third of children admit to carrying a gun or knife
(http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/one-third-of-children-admit-to-carrying-a-gun-or-knife-1638512.html)

10. What is the age of criminal responsibility in the U.K.?

A. 10
B. 12
C. 14
D. 16
E. 18

Click to reveal the answerA - The age of criminal responsibility in the UK is 10 years old.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5369274.stm)

How did you score?

1-3 Click here
You're way out of touch. But it's not too late to take more interest.
Watch The Teens' Speech on Christmas Day.

3-5 Click here
Looks like the youth are a mystery to you. Change it. Watch The Teens'
Speech on Christmas Day.

5-7 Click here
Not bad. You're pretty in touch. We're sure you'll be watching The
Teens' Speech on Christmas Day.

8-10 Click here
You're clearly in touch with young people. Stay that way. Watch The
Teens' Speech on Christmas Day.

5 Comments
30.10.09

Money too tight to mention

Tash is 15 and she's worried about debt. She's not alone.

In July this year, counselling charity, Relate, said of the 15,000 young people they see every year, nearly a quarter of them are depressed about money.

For Tash, her worry stems from witnessing the effects of the financial crisis on her parents and the stress and sadness is causes them. But, if Tash was a few years older and looking for work, she might find her own chances of getting a job - and staying out of debt - significantly reduced as a result of the economic downturn.

Young people are hit hardest by recession. Lacking the training or experience to hit the ground running at work, they are often overlooked in a time of financial hardship - as recently evidenced by the scrapping of graduate recruitment schemes at BT, Corus and Innocent Drinks.

As well as youth unemployment having an immediate cost - as much as £3.4 million a day, according to The Guardian - there's also a longer term issue to consider. When the economy turns around and the demand for young, willing and able people increases once again, a lost generation of young people who are unskilled and inexperienced is no good to anybody; slowing the country's ability to get back on its feet.

And so we return to what's at the heart of The Teens' Speech. Young people will inherit and shape our country and we have a duty to ensure they have fulfilled and happy futures. If we don't, their unhappiness and lack of opportunity will ultimately impact on all of us.

5 Comments
27.10.09

Mo' money mo' problems

This week, we'll be mostly talking about money; asking teenagers about their attitudes to it and more intriguingly, the monetary value they place on things.

For instance, in an age of illegal filesharing and legal streaming services, do young people still expect to have to pay for music and film?

If given the choice, would teenagers ditch investment in massive projects like The Olympics in favour of sustained investment in youth projects around the U.K.?

With the average debt for a university leaver now topping £23,000, do teenagers think the cost of a good education in the U.K. represents value for money? If not, what are they willing to pay? Do they think they should have to pay at all?

As of August 2009 the jobless rate for 16 to 24 year-olds seeking work was nearly one in five and 31.7% of 16 and 17-year-old school-leavers were officially unemployed. Against this backdrop, has the recession forced young people to address the issue of financial security a little too early, or do we need them to understand the reality of economic hardship sooner, rather than later?

Stay tuned for the weeks best clips on money from MySpace and YouTube as well as daily stories, videos and discussion on almost every aspect of the teenage experience in the U.K.

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