Young people 'viewed with widepsread distrust' - survey » Communities » 24dash.com

Young people are viewed with widespread anxiety and distrust by adults in their communities, according to a report published today revealing growing public concern about the moral values of children.

Two thirds of adults, or 66%, think the moral values of children today are "not as strong" as when they were young, a survey for the Children's Society has shown.

More than half, or 55%, thought there was more conflict between adults and children compared to when they were young and only a third, or 32%, thought that attitudes towards young people in their neighbourhood were "mostly positive".

Nearly seven out of 10 people polled, or 69%, said community values amongst children were not as strong as when they were young.

The findings from the telephone poll of 1,176 UK adults, conducted in January, were released to coincide with the publication of a summary of evidence on values submitted to the Good Childhood Inquiry.

Professional groups who gave evidence expressed fears about trends in society affecting the values children learn, the Children's Society said.

A rise in materialism, a preoccupation with celebrity, and declining networks of support from community and extended families were all cited as "negative factors", the charity said.

In separate evidence to the inquiry, more than one in 10 children, or 11%, said adults in their community were "never" friendly to them and 37% said only "sometimes" when responding to questions on the Good Childhood Inquiry and BBC Newsround websites.

The Rt Rev Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester and leader of the panel which drew up the summary on values, said children were aware of negative attitudes towards them, particularly in the media, and wanted to be portrayed positively, rather than as "thugs" and "vandals".

He said views about children's moral values were influenced by negative publicity about young people.

"There does seem to be evidence that as a society we have collectively developed fairly negative attitudes towards children in ways that mean children do not flourish as well as they might," he said.

"We have got to think about why it is like that, and what we can do to change this."

He added: "Many respondents to the inquiry expressed concern about how children can learn positive values from adults around them when communities are increasingly segregated and young people are often regarded with suspicion.

"It is crucial that our children are valued and respected by adults around them, so they can learn how to behave towards others."

Bob Reitemeier, chief executive of the Children's Society, said: "We reap what we sow when it comes to teaching children values.

"Every adult plays a vital role which we should nurture as much as we can.

"Unfortunately it is easier to criticise children than to invest in them, and it is the children most in need of positive role models who are becoming disconnected from their communities and wider society.

"Where troubled young people challenge us, our responsibility is to bring them closer and help them, not push them away."

The Good Childhood Inquiry, an independent national inquiry into childhood, managed by the Children's Society, is due to publish its final report and recommendations early next year.

The inquiry, which has the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams as patron, was launched in September 2006.