A new nationwide study by youth and education agency Hark has revealed that up to 10 young people in every classroom suffer from little or no confidence. That’s one in three adolescents – what the Listen Up Report calls the ‘unheard third’.
These young people are not speaking up in class, not taking part in clubs, not sharing their opinions – not because they have nothing to say, but because they don’t believe in themselves.
According to Hark, this is more than an education challenge. It’s a systemic issue – with real consequences for equity, opportunity, and business.
Hark’s Listen Up Report surveyed over 1,400 young people aged 11 to 18 across the UK. It found that:
- 1 in 3 young people say they have little or no confidence
- At age 16, confidence drops to its lowest point – with 35% reporting little or no confidence
- While London reports the highest confidence levels (87%), areas such as Northern Ireland (43%), Wales (41%), and the Midlands (35%) are far more likely to report low or no confidence
- Only 7% of non-confident youth regularly express their opinions, and 67% never speak to unfamiliar adults
The result? A generation of talent entering the workforce with under-developed soft skills, low self-belief, and limited visibility – often overlooked before they’ve even had a chance.
What’s causing the crisis?
As the report notes, many students in the education system today are experiencing a confidence crisis. This may be attributed to a combination of factors, including the lingering impact of Covid-19, the pressure to maintain an ‘online persona’, the fear of judgment, particularly for girls and minority groups, and a lack of emotionally safe spaces to speak openly. Such pressures are most acute during adolescence, when young people are shaping their identities and future paths.
Why should businesses care?
Because confidence determines who applies, who shows up, who interviews well, and who feels empowered to contribute. Right now, many of the initiatives businesses run – from outreach to early careers to CSR programmes – risk reinforcing the divide. They attract the most confident, the most visible, and the most supported. That means we’re missing the quiet talent, and narrowing the diversity of ideas, voices and perspectives in our future workforce.
Read the full report: https://harklondon.com/listen-up
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Photo by Alexei Scutari on Unsplash
