There are many reports and surveys on the effect of faith on children and young people. This is a selection of the most recent and relevent to Childrens and Young Peoples Ministry
Faith in the Nexus Research
How do church primary schools facilitate opportunities for children’s exploration of faith and spiritual life in the home?
The Faith in the Nexus research project has identified the fruitful ways in which twenty church primary schools (working in collaboration with churches and other interested stakeholders) facilitate opportunities for the exploration of children’s faith/spiritual life in the home.
The research findings emerged from research focus group interviews with 450 participants (pupils, parents & staff), and an online survey with 1000 participants across 20 church primary schools in England. https://nicer.org.uk/faith-in-the-nexus
Playfully Serious Church Army Research into Messy Church (February 2019)
CELEBRATE
- Messy Church is reaching families who are new to church
- Messy Church is growing disciples
- Messy Church is modelling new patterns of leadership
- Messy Churches are developing and maturing as church
CHALLENGES
- Messy Church leaders are over-stretched and under-supported
- Messy Churches can find creating a culture of discipleship demanding
- Messy Churches are often vulnerable and under-resourced
- Messy Churches live with ambiguity over what it means to be church
LEARNING
- Being intentional about discipleship is important
- Meeting more frequently is not necessarily ‘the’ answer
- Real community is messy
The Good Childhood Report
Time trends in children's well-being
Since 2013, we have presented trends in children’s well-being over time based on the most up-to-date findings from Understanding Society.
2023 - Our key findings
Almost a third of the children aged 10 to 17 who completed our annual survey this year were unhappy with at least one of the ten specific areas of their lives that we ask about.
The majority (74%) of children who completed our annual survey felt positive about their own futures, but less than four in ten felt positive about the future of the country and the world.
More children (aged 10 to 17) who completed our annual survey were unhappy with school (14.5%), a larger proportion than for the other nine aspects of life included in the Good Childhood Index.
Children aged 10 to 17 who completed our annual survey who worried about how much money their family had were more likely to be unhappy than those without financial worries with all the different aspects of life that they were asked about, and particularly with their home, money and things they own, and the amount of choice they have.
When asked about a list of seven issues relevant for the future, having enough money was the item that more children and young people worried about, followed by finding a job and getting good grades at school.
When asked about a set of nine societal issues, rising prices was the top worry among children completing the survey this year, followed by the environment.
Read full report and summaries here
Children’s Commissioner - Childhood vulnerability Report (2019)
Absence from school, the voice of disabled children, pornography, looked-after children and mental health are some of the topics addressed by the Children’s Commissioner for England.
Read statistics, full reposrts and other topics here.
Girlguiding Girls Attitudes Survey
Annual Girlguiding’s Girls’ Attitudes Survey - a snapshot of what girls and young women think on a wide range of issues, empowering girls to speak out on the issues that really matter to them and affect their lives today. This major survey canvasses the opinions of over 2,000 girls and young women aged 7 to 21, inside and outside guiding across the UK.
Find the report here: https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/girls-making-change/girls-attitudes-survey/
Archbishops' Families and Households Commission Report
Established in March 2021, the Archbishops’ Commission on Families and Households was asked to explore what families and households of all shapes and sizes need to flourish.
In its new report – ‘Love Matters’ – the Commission has outlined five ambitions to support and strengthen family life.
We must:
- Value families in all their diversity
- Support relationships throughout life
- Honour singleness and single person households
- Empower children and young people
- Build a kinder, fairer, more forgiving society
Read the summary or full report here
Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health
The mental health of children and young people aged 7 to 24 years living in England in 2022 is examined, as well as their household circumstances, and their experiences of education, employment and services and of life in their families and communities.
Summaries, key findings and full report avaialble here.