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Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Family breakdowns are highest level since records began as almost half of teenagers live with just one parent
Family breakdowns are at the highest level since records began – with almost half of teenagers not living with both birth parents by 14, a study has revealed. It calculates that an astonishing 45 per cent of teens do not live with both parents – even though official figures suggest just 24 per cent of families are headed by a lone parent. Official estimates for family breakdown have been 'dramatically understated' as they do not factor in parents who have new partners and those with young children who split later, researchers claim. The study, by the Marriage Foundation think-tank, found the level of family breakdown has increased fivefold since the 1970s and has reached 'epidemic proportions', warning that, as the likelihood of familial collapse is intergenerational, 'these figures will worsen in future years'. The report also said: 'Some level of family breakdown is inevitable. But 45 per cent? This should be a national scandal.' Official figures from the 1970s show just 8 per cent of families were headed by one parent, but the think-tank's analysis of data from the Millennium Cohort Study – a study of about 19,000 people born in 2000-02 – found this has dropped to just 45 per cent. The key component of family breakdown is not divorce, which is at its lowest level since 1970, but rather the splitting up of unmarried couples with children, according to the study. Married parents make up 85 per cent of families that remain intact when their children are teenagers and account for just 30 per cent of families that have broken down. 'Two-thirds of family breakdown already comes from parents who never married,' the study said, warning: 'This proportion will increase.' It also argued the rising figure has been 'camouflaged' by falling divorce rates and the level of lone parenthood remaining steady since 2000. It pointed to family breakdown as the 'number one predictor' of teen mental health problems, poor exam results and lower self-esteem – all expected to worsen as the figure increases. Study author Harry Benson said: 'The level of family breakdown is at epidemic proportions and is set to get worse. Yet no politicians or policy makers are talking about this. Why this deafening wall of silence?' Mr Benson argued that 'senior politicians, who are overwhelmingly married, don't want to be seen as 'preaching' about the construct or make-up of families'.
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Nearly half of British teenagers don't live with both birth parents as family breakdowns reach record levels
Family breakdowns are at the highest level since records began with almost half of teenagers not living with both natural parents by the age of 14, according to a new study. An astonishing 45 per cent of British teens now do not live with both parents - almost double the official figure of 24 per cent of families who are headed by a lone parent. Official estimates for family breakdown have been 'dramatically understated' as they didn't factor in parents who have re-partnered and those with young children who split later, the study claims. Researchers found that the level of family breakdown in Britain has increased fivefold since the 1970s and has now reached 'epidemic proportions'. They warn that as the likelihood of familial collapse is intergenerational 'these figures will worsen in future years'. The study, by the Marriage Foundation think tank, says: 'Some level of family breakdown is inevitable and even welcome. But 45 per cent? This should be a national scandal. 'This figure is also roughly double the ONS figure usually cited where 24 percent of all families in 2023 were headed by a lone parent. This dramatically understates the real level of family breakdown.' Official figures from the 1970s show just eight per cent of families then were headed by a lone parent. However the think tank's analysis of data from the Millennium Cohort Study - a long-term study of about 19,000 people born in the UK in 2000-02 - found this has now reached 45 per cent. The key driver of family breakdown is not divorce, which is now at its lowest level since 1970, but the collapse of unmarried families with children, the study found. Married parents account for 85 per cent of families that remain intact when their children are teenagers and make up just 30 per cent of families that have broken down. 'Two thirds of family breakdown already comes from parents who never married,' the research says, adding: 'This proportion will increase.' The rising level of family breakdown has been 'camouflaged' by falling divorce rates and the overall level of lone parenthood remaining steady in official statistics since 2000, it adds. The study, titled We need to talk about marriage - finding reliable love, warns that family breakdown is the 'number one predictor' of teenage mental health problems, poor exam results and lower self-esteem, with these problems likely to worsen if levels of family breakdown continue at current rates. Harry Benson, Marriage Foundation's research director and the author of the study, said: 'The level of family breakdown in the UK is at epidemic proportions and is set to get worse with all the knock-on effects on those affected and in societal costs. 'Yet no politicians or policy makers are talking about this. So why this deafening wall of silence? 'Those in power might be blissfully ignorant of the facts, with official stats massively underestimating the scale of the problem in the UK, but more likely senior politicians, who are overwhelmingly married, don't want to be seen as 'preaching' about the construct or make-up of families.'
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Early air pollution exposure affects health in adolescence, study finds
Young children who are exposed to high levels of air pollution are more likely to experience poor health outcomes in later adolescence, according to new research. The study, conducted by academics at University College London, looked at data from 9,000 young people taking part in the Millennium Cohort Study between 2000 and 2002 across the UK, measuring their exposure to various types of air pollutants including PM2.5, PM10 and NO2. The results found that adolescents who lived in polluted areas during early childhood, aged two to four, had a risk up to a third higher of reporting worse health when aged between five and seven. The study also found that children from ethnic minority backgrounds and deprived neighbourhoods tended to be exposed to higher levels of air pollution, resulting in them being more likely to experience poorer health and chronic conditions. Dr Gergo Baranyi, the lead author of the research, said: 'This study is unique from the perspective that it is nationally representative, making our findings generalisable to the UK population, and that we were able to follow up with children from birth to nearly 20 years of age. 'I think one of the most important finding was seeing the large inequalities in terms of exposure to different air pollutants, and how these inequalities between different socioeconomic groups and ethnic minority groups persisted during childhood.' He added: 'One of the reasons why there is higher air pollution among ethnic minorities is because they are mainly living in urban areas, and also in more deprived neighbourhoods. Air pollution affects health because tiny particles are able to penetrate the respiratory tract, which is able to get into the bloodstream and even enter the brain. 'The two main takeaway messages of the study are the identification of a sensitive period for air pollution exposure between age three and six years, and the persistent inequalities in terms of exposure among ethnic minority groups and among disadvantaged individuals. Follow-up studies will aim to identify what specific disorders or health problems are related to this exposure window.' Jenny Bates, from Friends of the Earth, said: 'Air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to health and can affect every organ in the body as deadly particles get from our lungs into our bloodstream. 'Recent research by Friends of the Earth shows that air pollution not only disproportionately affects low-income areas and those with higher populations of people of colour, but also that households in the most polluted neighbourhoods are three times less likely to own a car than those in cleaner areas.' She added: 'The government must act now to strengthen air pollution targets – just as the EU has – bringing them in line with the latest World Health Organization health guidelines. 'The government should also tackle air pollution in its upcoming climate plan, which must ensure that everyone benefits from the transition to a low-carbon future through cleaner air, warmer homes, cheaper energy bills and sustainable jobs in green industries.'
