Scottish Social Attitudes survey 2021/22: public attitudes to children and young people's decision making

Findings of the Scottish Social Attitudes (SSA) Survey 2021/22

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Topline findings

The majority of surveyed adults felt that young people aged 16 to 18 should have ‘a great deal’ or ‘quite a lot’ of say in decisions that affect their lives. The proportion believing this for those aged 11 to 15 was much smaller:

  • 72% of adults felt that those aged 16 to 18 should have ‘a great deal’ or ‘quite a lot’ of say, compared with 39% for those aged 11 to 15.
  • Only 6% of adults felt that those aged 16 to 18 should have ‘not very much’ say or ‘none at all’, compared with 21% for those aged 11 to 15.

Figure 1 presents all answer categories.

Figure 1: How much say 11- to 15-year-olds / 16- to 18-year-olds should have in decisions that affect their lives by age, 2021 (%).
Bar chart showing the proportions of parents who felt how much say young people aged 11 to 15 and 16 to 18 should have in decisions that affect their lives

Base: all respondents

Contact

Email: socialresearch@gov.scot

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