The Youth Action and Policy Association (YAPA) study found that the multiple disadvantage experienced by some young people has not been solved despite the economic growth of the last decade.

The study found that about 1 in 10 young people are experiencing multiple forms of disadvantage, such as economic and social exclusion, as well as disengagement. Poverty measures only relate to income level, but what this study has shown is that disadvantage occurs in other areas, and it is just as debilitating.

Apart from the findings on multiple disadvantage, other specific areas of disadvantage were found:

• 1 in 10 could not access mental health services, nor were able to access dental treatment


• 1 in 3 could not keep up with basic payments for services such as water, gas or electricity


• 1 in 3 had missed an important event because of a lack of available transport


• 1 in 20 did not have somewhere safe nor stable to live; for young parents, this ratio was 1 in 4


• 1 in 10 were deprived of basic psychological needs, such as the support of their family and a
  sense of belonging.