Girls in England are among the unhappiest in the world, a charity report has revealed. Despite having some of the highest living standards in the world, they are less satisfied with life than youngsters in developing countries such as Algeria, Brazil and South Africa, it found. The main concern was body image, with one in five pre-adolescent English girls beset with anxiety about their appearance. English girls are among unhappiest in the world according to report by The Good Childhood (picture by model) Children from Romania, Spain and Israel were the most content. The Good Childhood report, published today by the Children’s Society, analysed responses to questions about happiness and stress from an ongoing study involving 16,000 children aged ten to 13 across 11 countries in five continents. England ranked ninth on the international league table – with only South Korea and Uganda scoring lower. The top concern for children in England was their image, with only higher levels recorded in South Korea. Girls were found to be twice as likely to be worried about their appearance than boys in England. Only nine per cent of ten- to 13-year-old boys were worried about how they looked, compared with 18 per cent of girls. ‘People are judged on looks. Sometimes you feel like you can’t enjoy yourself unless you are pretty,’ researchers recorded one 12-year-old saying. Youngsters in developing countries such as Algeria, Brazil (pictured) and South Africa were happier in life . English youngsters were at their unhappiest during their teenage years, the report found. Only four per cent of eight-year-olds reported low life satisfaction, but this rose to 14 per cent for 15-year-olds. The main concern was body image, with one in five pre- adolescent English girls beset with anxiety about their appearance . While it found English children were less anxious about housing, money, and friendship than their counterparts in other countries, they were more likely to be anxious about their future and appearance. The Children’s Society chief executive Matthew Reed said: ‘Childhood is a happy time for the vast majority of this country. But we can’t shut our eyes and ears to the half a million children who say they are unhappy.’ The report is the first analysis of findings from the Children’s Worlds Survey. The global cross-section ranked the countries in the following order in terms of well-being: Romania, Spain, Israel, Brazil, US, Algeria, South Africa, Chile, England, South Korea, and Uganda. The report, titled Good Childhood, also found that English children came 30th out of 19 countries in Europe and North America in terms of their ‘subjective well-being’, which was determined by how they rated their own happiness and life satisfaction. In the UK, Northern Irish children emerged as the happiest with just 6.9 per cent having low life satisfaction – in contrast to 10.1 per cent of children in England, 9.2 per cent in Scotland and 8.8 per cent in Wales. Mr Reed said: ‘That is a statistic none of us can afford to ignore. ‘In a period where austerity measures are disproportionately affecting low-income families, it is critical to keep focused on how young people are faring.’
English girls less satisfied in life than youngsters in developing countries .
Main concern was body image, with one in five anxious about appearance .
Report analysed responses from 16,000 children aged between ten and 13 .
It found that children from Romania, Spain and Israel were most content .
Girls in England are among the unhappiest in the world, a charity report has revealed. Despite having some of the highest living standards in the world, they are less satisfied with life than youngsters in developing countries such as Algeria, Brazil and South Africa, it found. The main concern was body image, with one in five pre-adolescent English girls beset with anxiety about their appearance. English girls are among unhappiest in the world according to report by The Good Childhood (picture by model) Children from Romania, Spain and Israel were the most content. The Good Childhood report, published today by the Children’s Society, analysed responses to questions about happiness and stress from an ongoing study involving 16,000 children aged ten to 13 across 11 countries in five continents. England ranked ninth on the international league table – with only South Korea and Uganda scoring lower. The top concern for children in England was their image, with only higher levels recorded in South Korea. Girls were found to be twice as likely to be worried about their appearance than boys in England. Only nine per cent of ten- to 13-year-old boys were worried about how they looked, compared with 18 per cent of girls. ‘People are judged on looks. Sometimes you feel like you can’t enjoy yourself unless you are pretty,’ researchers recorded one 12-year-old saying. Youngsters in developing countries such as Algeria, Brazil (pictured) and South Africa were happier in life . English youngsters were at their unhappiest during their teenage years, the report found. Only four per cent of eight-year-olds reported low life satisfaction, but this rose to 14 per cent for 15-year-olds. The main concern was body image, with one in five pre- adolescent English girls beset with anxiety about their appearance . While it found English children were less anxious about housing, money, and friendship than their counterparts in other countries, they were more likely to be anxious about their future and appearance. The Children’s Society chief executive Matthew Reed said: ‘Childhood is a happy time for the vast majority of this country. But we can’t shut our eyes and ears to the half a million children who say they are unhappy.’ The report is the first analysis of findings from the Children’s Worlds Survey. The global cross-section ranked the countries in the following order in terms of well-being: Romania, Spain, Israel, Brazil, US, Algeria, South Africa, Chile, England, South Korea, and Uganda. The report, titled Good Childhood, also found that English children came 30th out of 19 countries in Europe and North America in terms of their ‘subjective well-being’, which was determined by how they rated their own happiness and life satisfaction. In the UK, Northern Irish children emerged as the happiest with just 6.9 per cent having low life satisfaction – in contrast to 10.1 per cent of children in England, 9.2 per cent in Scotland and 8.8 per cent in Wales. Mr Reed said: ‘That is a statistic none of us can afford to ignore. ‘In a period where austerity measures are disproportionately affecting low-income families, it is critical to keep focused on how young people are faring.’
the world, they are less satisfied with life than youngsters in developing countries such as main concern was body image, with one in five about their appearance. English girls are among from Romania, Spain and Israel were the most it found English children were less anxious about