State of the Nation Survey November 2020
Over the course of 2019–2020 we worked with Ipsos MORI to find our more about public attitudes to, and understanding of, early childhood.”. In November 2020 we published State of the Nation: Understanding Public Attitudes to the Early Years, the biggest UK survey on the early years. This landmark research included the findings of the 5 Big Questions, which over half a million people responded to, as well as qualitative and ethnographic research, a nationally representative quantitative survey conducted before the pandemic and a follow-up survey on the impact on families of COVID-19.
People overwhelmingly believe that a child’s future is not predetermined at birth. However, most people don’t understand the specific importance of the early years.
Answering the 5 Big Questions, 98% of people believe that nurture is essential to lifelong outcomes, but just one in four recognises the specific importance of the first five years of a child’s life.
The reality of life makes it hard for parents to prioritise their own well-being.
According to the survey, 90% of people see parental mental health and well-being as critical to a child’s development, but in reality people do very little to prioritise themselves. Only 10% of parents mentioned taking the time to look after their own well-being when asked how they had prepared for the arrival of their baby. Worryingly, over a third of all parents (37%) expect the COVID-19 pandemic to have a negative impact on their long-term mental well-being.
Feeling judged by others can make a bad situation worse.
Some 70% of parents feel judged by others, and among these parents nearly half feel that this negatively affects their mental health.
People have been separated from family and friends during the pandemic, and at the same time parental loneliness has dramatically increased. Disturbingly, people are also less willing to seek help for how they are feeling.
Parental loneliness has dramatically increased during the pandemic, from 38% before to 63% as parents have been cut off from friends and family. The increase in loneliness for parents is more apparent in the most deprived areas. Compounding this, it seems that there has been a rise in the proportion of parents who feel uncomfortable seeking help for how they are feeling, from 18% before the pandemic to 34% during it.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, support from local communities has substantially increased for many – but not for all.
Across the UK, communities have united powerfully to meet the challenges of unprecedented times, and 40% of parents feel that community support has grown. However, parents in the most deprived areas are less likely to have experienced this increased support (33%) than elsewhere.
