Young people more likely to quarrel with mums than dads – and also to talk about things that matter

Young people are more likely to quarrel with their mums than their dads, but also more likely to talk about “things that matter”, particularly girls, according to new statistics from the Office for National Statistics.

The statistics come in a report on young people’s health and well-being which shows they are slightly more happy and less stressed than adults and that their level of well-being has remained fairly stable over the last three years.

According to the UK Household Longitudinal Survey, 16 to 21 year olds asked about their relationship with their parents, said they were more likely to quarrel with their mother than their father. Around 25% quarrelled with their mother more than once a week in 2011-12, whereas only 16% quarrelled with their father more than once a week. This compares with nearly 28% of 10 to15 year olds quarrelling with their mother more than once a week and 20% quarrelling with their father more than once a week. The ONS says the smaller proportion of 16 to 21 year olds quarrelling with either parent, compared with children aged 10 to 15, is “indicative of the increased independence young people experience”.

Young people also said they were also more likely to talk to their mother about things that matter. Around 58% of 16 to 21 year olds talked to their mother more than once a week, compared with nearly 36% who talked to their father about things that matter more than once a week. This compared with around 63% of 10 to 15 year olds who said they talked to their mother about things that matter and nearly 40% who talked to their father. Amongst 16 to 21 year olds, women were far more likely to talk to their mother about things that matter, at 67%, than men, at 50%.

Those who quarrelled with their parents more than once a week were more unhappy and were less likely to talk to their parents about things that matter very often.

The ONS says: “A person’s relationships with family and friends can affect their well-being in a number of ways. Good communication is important to healthy relationships.”

Other findings include:

– In 2013/14 in the UK, around eight out of 10 young people aged 16 to 24 reported high or very high life satisfaction.

– Around one in five young people aged 16 to 24 in the UK reported some symptoms of anxiety or depression in 2011-12.

– One in three young people aged 16 to 24 in England were overweight, including obese, in 2012 compared with three in 5 adults aged 16 and over.

– One in foiur young people aged 16 to 24 in England and Wales were victims of crime in 2013-14, down from one in three in 2006-07.

– One in 10 young people aged 16 to 24 in the UK were finding their financial situation difficult or very difficult in 2011-12.

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