Survey: 25% of teens say recession increasing tensions at home

A SURVEY of the effects of the recession on teenagers has found more than a quarter believe money worries are causing more tension in the home.

As a result of financial pressures, nearly four in 10 teens said there was now a general limit on household spending and more than half said their families were having to cut back on luxuries.

However despite money being tight, very few teenagers (less than one in 10) believed the recession was impacting on either their own or their family’s happiness.

The survey, by Behaviours and Attitudes on behalf of Foróige, the National Youth Development Association, found:

* A quarter of teens said the family holiday was scrapped this year on account of the recession.

* One third said extra-curricular activities (such as clubs, music and sport) were curtailed.

* Nearly half (47%) said back-to-school expenses put more pressure on their family this year compared with last year.

* Parents being made redundant or having to take a pay cut is now the norm for over a quarter (27%) of young teens.

The survey, conducted among 12 to 17-year-olds, found many were prepared to make a number of sacrifices to help ease money troubles in the home. These included almost six in 10 claiming they would not ask for money as often as they used to, if their family was under financial pressure; 45% said they would be prepared to ditch designer labels for high street clothes or buy less phone credit to lessen the financial burden.

One third said they would look for a part-time job to get extra cash.

More than six in 10 young people said they were more aware of what things cost and personally more grateful for what they have.

Sean Campbell, chief executive of Foróige, said one of the positive outcomes of the recession is that young people are engaging more with community activities.

“Contributing to the community has a positive impact on young people in lifting their mood and reinforcing their individual and collective ability to make a difference.

“It is obvious from the survey that the recession is having an impact on young people, but our experience is that with the proper supports young people can adapt quickly to new circumstances.”

Interestingly, the least popular “escape” from the recession among young people was falling in love. The most popular was going on a permanent holiday, followed by becoming an entrepreneur or spending their time on social networking site Bebo.

The results of the survey, which involved more than 250 teens, were published last night to coincide with the permanent tsb Foróige Youth Citizenship Awards honouring 18 projects of community activism.