Carers Trust has conducted a survey of young carers (aged 12 to 17) and young adult carers (aged 18 to 25) in the UK to find out how they have been impacted by the coronavirus crisis.
This is important as it adds to the evidence of how young carers and young adult carers in the UK have been impacted by Coronavirus.
The results are extremely concerning. They show significant increases in the amount of time young people are spending on caring for family members or friends. And the survey also shows increases in stress, and a steep decline in mental health among young carers and young adult carers.
Here are some headline findings:
- 40% of young carers and 59% of young adult carers say their mental health is worse since coronavirus
- 67% of young carers and 78% of young adult carers are more worried about the future since coronavirus
- 66% of young carers and 74% of young adult carers are feeling more stressed since coronavirus
- 69% of both young carers and young adult carers are feeling less connected to others since coronavirus
- 11% of young carers and 19.7% of young adult carers report an increase of 30 hours or more in the amount of time they spend caring per week
These concerning findings are very much in line with what carers, including young carers and young adult carers, told us earlier in the coronavirus crisis and research by Dr Kate Blake-Holmes at the UEA. These latest findings show that there are on-going challenges for carers and the importance of our work to support them during the coronavirus crisis.
You can find out more about the Carers Trust survey and its findings by visiting the Carers Trust website.
