NEARLY seven out of ten young people in Scotland believe both the UK and Scottish governments are failing to spend enough on tackling poverty, new research has found.
The survey, carried out by the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP), also shows young people believe key measures to tackle the issue should include increasing the minimum wage, improving schools in deprived areas, helping more people into vocational training and requiring employers to pay the living wage.
The emotional toll of living in poverty is also recognised, with around two-thirds of those surveyed saying they believed isolation, anxiety and being bullied were the most likely impacts.
The findings are part of a research undertaken launched by the SYP to explore how children and young people view poverty, which will be published in full later this year. It is part of the youth parliament's 'Poverty: See it Change' campaign which was launched in January with the aim of raising awareness on the issue among young people and wider society.
Jordan Linden, chair of the SYP, said: "It is unacceptable that one in five of our children and young people in Scotland live in poverty. "Many young people in Scotland are simply robbed of their childhood. They are robbed of the opportunity to use their passion and talents to create a better and more prosperous future for themselves.
"Our campaign efforts so far have shown that Scotland's young people want to see change.
"Young people have told us there is a need for improvement and support across a range of issues throughout Scotland, such as education, access to work experience and opportunities, fairness and equality, and paying a living wage."
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