Young people not in work, education or training are at the centre of a big political debate. A lot is said about them, but they are rarely asked what they want. So we asked them.
Seven in ten want a job in the next year. And nearly twice as many think swapping benefits for a guaranteed job or training place would leave them better off in five years as think it would leave them worse off.
This is not a group that doesn’t want to work. What they need is the right support, and the investment to get them into work, education or training.
Good Growth Foundation founder and director Praful Nargund said:
“Our survey shows that the idea of young people being workshy just isn’t true. What they need is the right support.
“Young people want what everyone wants: a real sense of control over their own lives, the ability to make choices about where they live, what they do and the future they build. A decent job is the foundation for all of that.
“The problem is, the longer they’re out of work, the more their ambition starts to fade. It doesn’t help that so many job applications never even get a reply, which leaves people feeling more and more fed up and less in charge of their own direction.
“If we’re serious about tackling the NEETs crisis, we need to step in early, before young people drift into inactivity or get stuck relying on benefits, and lose that control over their lives.”
What we found
Most want to work, but health holds many back
A vast majority (72%) are interested in a paid job in the next year, and 41% are very interested. This includes 79% of those not on disability benefits (51% very interested) and 60% of those who are (21%). Almost all of those actively looking for work want a job (94%).
Six in ten (61%) are interested in a short training course and half (53%) in an apprenticeship. The longer someone is out of work, the more their interest fades: Most (59%) of those NEET for under six months are very keen on a job, compared to 29% of those out for a year or more.
Health is key in determining how young NEETs feel about employment prospects. On a scale of 0 to 10, those not on disability benefits rate their chances of being in work a year from now at an average of 5.2. Those on disability benefits put it at 2.9.
Employers are shutting the door on those who try
Three in four (76%) of those looking for work search at least once a week, and more than a third (36%) have sent over 20 applications in the last year. Of everyone who applied, 60% usually heard nothing back. Half (50%) were usually turned down too quickly for anyone to have read what they sent, and 46% were usually told they needed experience for a job meant for beginners. 43% have never had an offer.
Of those who sent more than 20 applications, 84% usually heard nothing and 55% never got a single offer.
Asked what the biggest barriers to working are, the top answers among those who want a job are employers not taking on young people without experience (30%), not enough jobs nearby (27%) and having no work experience (24%). Only 5% say nothing is stopping them.
Those who can work would swap benefits for a guaranteed place
Overall, 39% would give up their Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance or ESA (or, if they don’t claim these, accept them being made harder to get) in return for a guaranteed job, training place or apprenticeship with their own job coach. 37% would rather keep things as they are and 8% would rather have guaranteed health support.
Most NEETs not on disability benefits (51%) would swap for a guaranteed place. Among those on no benefits at all, it’s 66% to 14%. 49% of those not on disability benefits think a guaranteed place would make their life better in five years’ time and 20% think it would make it worse. Among those on no benefits at all, 59% think it would make their life better.
Most of those on disability benefits (56%) would keep things as they are, 17% would make the swap and 16% would rather have guaranteed health support. This isn’t because they don’t want to work: 60% want a job in the next year. A guaranteed place on its own doesn’t address their health, which is what is holding them back.
They see the deal as worth it, and want mental health support most
We asked whether making health-related benefits harder to get, for those the government judges able to work, would be better or worse for them if the money was spent on something else. For all six options, more said better than worse. Earlier mental health support came top (54% better, 7% worse), followed by a named job coach (50% vs 11%), more money for disabled young people with complex needs (45% vs 8%), an allowance for care leavers (42% vs 7%), twice as many apprenticeships (41% vs 13%) and more technical places at college (31% vs 15%). Some of this reflects support for each idea in general, not just what they would personally gain.
Overall, 42% think the changes would leave them better off in the long run and 13% worse off. Only 7% of those not on disability benefits expect to lose out, compared to 23% of those on them.
Around half would accept a slower rise in the youth minimum wage if employers were paid to take on young people (47% better, 18% worse). Losing some benefits for turning down support or a job without good reason divides them (30% better, 28% worse). Those not on disability benefits back it (31% vs 23%), while those on disability benefits oppose it (27% vs 37%).
Mental health support is the missing piece
57% have a long-term health condition. For 79% of them it includes a mental health problem, and half (50%) are neurodivergent. 45% of all NEETs are waiting for mental health support, can’t get it, or get less than they need. That’s 34% of those not on disability benefits and 65% of those on them.
Any change for this group has to protect their health support. 40% of those on disability benefits don’t think they would ever be well enough to work, even with guaranteed health support. And 36% of those on disability benefits who could work say they would need that support for as long as they were in a job.
Methodology
The Good Growth Foundation surveyed 519 young people aged 16 to 24 in England who are not in employment, education or training (NEET), online, between 5 and 11 November 2026. Respondents were screened on the ONS definition of NEET. Results are weighted to ONS Labour Force Survey figures for NEET 16 to 24-year-olds on age by sex, unemployed or economically inactive status by sex, and region. We do not weight to health or benefit status, as no official population figure exists. Those groups are reported separately, and their size in our sample closely matches independent estimates: 35% of our weighted sample are on a health-related benefit, compared to 36% in DWP administrative data. The margin of error is approximately ±4 points on the full sample.
