A recent survey conducted by the charity Unicef UK has shed light on the significant mental health struggles faced by millions of parents in the United Kingdom. The survey points to factors such as the escalating cost of living, limited childcare options, and reduced support services as contributing to these challenges.
According to the poll, 61 percent of respondents expressed concerns about their mental health, with individuals on lower incomes being the most affected demographic. Parents reported feeling overwhelmed (49%), anxious (43%), unsupported (36%), and lonely (26%) for extended periods over the past year.
Furthermore, 70 percent of parents with infants and young children expressed that parenthood in the UK has become increasingly challenging with each passing year, and 70 percent believed that being a parent today is more demanding than it was for their own parents’ generation.
The survey was conducted by YouGov and involved 2,661 parents of children aged four and under in Britain in July.
Jon Sparkes, the CEO of Unicef UK, remarked, “This lack of support for families falls at a critical stage in babies’ and young children’s development, threatening life chances and piling more and more pressure on families.”
The escalating cost of living was identified as the most common reason parents found it harder to raise children today (83%). Additionally, 68 percent of parents cited a lack of available childcare, 64 percent mentioned reduced quality time with their children, and 41 percent pointed to a decline in local support services. Housing costs (78%) and concerns related to social media (75%) were also cited as factors making parenting more challenging for the current generation.
Moreover, 68 percent of respondents believed that the government was not doing enough to support parents of young children.
The survey highlighted that 30 percent of parents had to work longer hours in the past year due to increased financial pressures, while 37 percent had less time to engage in activities like reading, playing, and preparing healthy meals with their children.
Sparkes emphasized, “These findings provide a stark snapshot into the reality for many families with babies and young children right now – worried for their children’s future, struggling to make ends meet and left feeling anxious, alone, and unsupported.”
He added, “Urgent government action is needed to address the gaps to stop families slipping through the net and to safeguard our babies and children’s futures.” The research also underscored significant inequalities, with 94 percent of the poorest households reporting that the cost of living crisis had negatively impacted family life, compared to 78 percent of all parents with young children.
