Youth Right Now
Insights from the nation’s largest data set on kids & teens | 130,000+ youth surveyed in 2023
About the Survey
Youth Right Now features survey findings from more than 130,000 kids and teens ages 9-18 in 2023 on how they are feeling about their academics, emotional well-being, relationships, readiness for life after high school and the social issues impacting their generation.*
Since 2012, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has surveyed our youth members nationwide, kids from all different backgrounds, ethnicities and communities, who share one thing in common — they participate in a Boys & Girls Club. This data supports more than 5,200 Boys & Girls Clubs in improving services to youth. This is the largest data set on youth in the nation, to our knowledge, and a unique window into how America’s kids are doing. Download the full survey results.
The State of Youth
A message from Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s President & CEO Jim Clark. Read more →
About the youth survey respondents:
Be the first to know when Youth Right Now data drops in 2024!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Young people feel hopeful and prepared for the future.
- The majority of youth (75%) intend to go to college and more than half (62%) feel confident they have the skills needed to be successful in a job.
- 93% of 11th and 12th graders know what education or training they need for the career they want and 91% know the costs to expect.
Today’s youth are committed to societal change and passionate about social justice issues that continue to top headlines.
- 81% of youth feel they can make a difference in their community.
- More than half of teens (53%) identified racial justice as the top social issue they care about.*
Echoing national youth mental health data and following years of pandemic disruption, young people continue to face challenges with social dynamics and in-person learning, stress management and problem-solving.
- 7 out of 10 youth say when something important goes wrong in their life, they can’t stop worrying about it. And 67% say they try to keep anyone from finding out.
- 40% of youth say they were bullied on school property in the past year, while 18% of youth have experienced cyberbullying.
SPOTLIGHT ON TEENS
Today’s teens are vocal about what matters to them.
In fact, 9 in 10 (87%) teens feel they can express their thoughts and ideas clearly. This matches Gen Z’s presence in our culture — a generation passionate about shifting priorities societally and in the workforce.
Teens care about social issues that have topped headlines in the past decade and have directly impacted their individual experiences, their family and friends, schools and communities. They’re also most likely to get their news from social media than any other source, even family or friends.*
Gen Z teens are compassionate and empathetic, with 83% reporting they’ve done something to help people in their community.
Academically, slightly more than half of teens report being on track to graduate on time, with nearly half facing some level of risk. Yet they remain ambitious about their path to secondary education, with the majority expecting to go to some form of college.
WHERE YOUTH ARE THRIVING
Despite a growing number of obstacles projected to impact young people’s futures — from rising student debt to the rapidly changing workforce — young people are hopeful about the future, including their potential and success in college and career.
81% of youth believe they can make a difference in their community.
The majority of youth (75%) expect to go to college.
93% of 11th and 12th graders say they know what education or training they need for the career they want and 91% know the costs to expect.
62% of youth are confident they have the skills needed to be successful in a job.
Today’s youth are compassionate and empathetic — from wanting to help to considering how people will be affected by their decisions.
92% of youth want to help when they see someone having a problem.
When making a decision, 85% of youth think about how other people will be affected.
86% of youth can stand up for what they think is right, even if their friends disagree.
89% of youth say when they are the leader of a group, they make sure everyone feels important.
WHERE YOUTH NEED SUPPORT
The impact of social media and being back in the classroom creates challenges for young people — from managing stress and problem-solving, to navigating bullying and peer relationships.
7 out of 10 youth (70%) say when something important goes wrong in their life, they can’t stop worrying about it. And 67% of youth say they try to keep people from finding out about the problem.
More than a quarter of youth (28%) say they aren’t able to stay calm when they’re stressed.
40% of youth say they were bullied on school property in the past year. Of those, 38% didn’t tell an adult.
18% of youth say they have experienced cyberbullying in the past year. Of those, 55% didn’t tell an adult.
37% of youth say they have skipped a day of school in the last month.
Nearly half (47%) of youth say if they don’t understand something right away, they stop trying to understand.
*Data points marked with an asterisk represent Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s 2022 Teen Survey (sample size: 600+ teens). All other teen-specific data represents Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s 2023 National Youth Outcomes Initiative Member Survey, youth ages 13+ (sample size 33,000+ teens).
Parent Resources
All young people can lead in their own way with these tips on building leadership skills.
Every generation shapes the future of the American workforce — here’s the impact of Gen Z.
Turn down the pressure of the new school year with these tips to support youth in managing stress.
Comcast Newsmakers
In early 2023, Dr. Jennifer Bateman, Senior Vice President of Youth Development at Boys & Girls Clubs of America, joined Comcast Newsmakers to discuss insights into the state of America’s youth. Read More →
DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES
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Survey Summary and Full Survey Results
Downloadable Infographic Tiles
