Marvin OnumonuThe McDonald’s Youth Confidence Index 2026 showed that young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs) scored lower on confidence than their peers in every area.
80% of those in education, employment or training said they had something to offer the world, but this fell to 57% among NEETs.
62% of NEETs said they knew how to find and apply for a job, only six points behind their peers, but just 49% felt the world of work had a place for them, compared with 75%.
Less than half of NEETs (44%) had a clear plan for their career, compared with 66% of other young people.
Both groups felt undervalued by employers, with only 46% of those in education, employment or training and 36% of NEETs saying their generation was valued by employers.
75% of young people believed they were portrayed unfairly in the media, and 80% felt the media described them as lazy and unmotivated.
Only 23% described themselves as optimistic about the world, and a third (33%) said they were optimistic about their generation’s future.
Among NEETs, just 35% felt confident about their own future and only 26% were optimistic about their generation’s future.
Most important values for young people were being kind (45%), treating people fairly (39%) and loyalty to those they care about (38%).
Reliability (39%), a positive attitude (36%) and determination (34%) also featured strongly.
65% of young people were worried about finding a job and 60% believed their generation faces fewer opportunities than previous generations.
Only 32% said they had a clear idea of what they wanted to do and were actively working towards it.
29% had some sense of direction but did not know how to get there.
70% of NEETs were worried about finding a job, higher than the overall average.
60% of young people worried they were not prepared for the world of work.
A lack of experience was the biggest obstacle, with 37% identifying it as a concern. 31% worried about meeting new people or being in unfamiliar environments and 29% felt overwhelmed by job-seeking.
31% were concerned about not having the right qualifications and skills, with 36% citing a lack of confidence and 35% afraid of failure.
Data also showed that 39% said access to work experience was the top priority.
Other priorities were help preparing for interviews (30%), mental health support (27%), mentoring (27%) and help with CVs and job applications (26%).
72% agreed it was important to have a role model or someone to look up to in the workplace.
Most looked up to a family member (59%) or friend (37%), but many wanted role models in the world of work too.
Young people wanted employers to pay a fair wage (38%) and be more open to hiring young people (38%).
37% wanted more work experience, 34% wanted more entry-level jobs that did not require experience, and 30% wanted more apprenticeships and traineeships.
Barriers to work experience included a lack of opportunities in their local area (69%), not being able to afford unpaid work experience (61%), believing work experience was only for those with the right connections (52%) and not knowing how to apply (51%).
For young people, financial stability (27%) was the main thing they wanted from work, followed by enjoying their job (26%), learning new skills (9%), helping others (9%) and the ambition to run their own business (8%).
