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Confidence gap widens for NEETs in 2026, index finds

The McDonald’s Youth Confidence Index 2026 showed 44% of NEETs had a clear plan for their career, compared with 66% of other young people.

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Confidence gap widens for NEETs in 2026, index finds
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The 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. 

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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.

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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.

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65% of young people were worried about finding a job and 60% believed their generation faces fewer opportunities than previous generations. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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%).

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