The Youth Voice Census 2025 captures the views of over 8,000 young people across the UK, including 534 from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, offering insight into youth wellbeing, education, and employment opportunities.
Local findings highlight both optimism and concern. Only 38% of young people in the region can access mental health support when needed, fewer than half feel safe in their communities, and issues with transport and the cost of living limit access to work, learning, and social activities. Participation in sports, clubs, and volunteering is below national averages, though involvement improves wellbeing and community connections.
While young people report strong teamwork and communication skills, many feel unprepared for the workforce. Awareness of green jobs is growing, but knowledge of how to access these opportunities is limited.
The Youth Guarantee Trailblazer, part of the Government’s Get Britain Working plan, is addressing these challenges by joining up local education, employment, and wellbeing systems. By acting on young people’s voices, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough can create better access to support, fair work opportunities, and stronger communities.
The Youth Voice Census is the UK’s largest annual survey of young people aged 11–30, capturing their experiences from education into employment. Now in its eighth year, it gives young people a platform to share what works and what needs to change.
The Combined Authority Youth Voice Census 2025 focuses on Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, combining national data with a regional perspective to reflect the voices and experiences of young people across the area. An inclusive approach ensures all young people, including those with additional needs or limited digital access, are represented.
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Young people in the CPCA region are highly ambitious and capable. They report strong confidence in essential soft skills, with 71% confident in problem-solving and 55% believing they understand employer needs. Their interest in emerging sectors is high, with 28% keen to consider green jobs , surpassing the national average.
Realizing this potential requires strategic intervention across three key gaps:
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The Support Gap: Only 38% can access mental health support when needed , and only 49% feel a sense of belonging.
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The Experience Gap: The link to employers is missing, with only 27% gaining work experience in the last year.
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The Accessibility Gap: The reliability of local transport is a significant barrier , with only 29% rating it good or excellent. This drives the finding that 26% cite location as a barrier to work, far exceeding the national average of 18%.
The CPCA has a clear mandate to strengthen connectivity and turn high local ambition into progress
Key Findings from the Youth Voice Census 2025
The Youth Voice Census 2025 reveals that young people in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) region are ambitious, highly capable, and eager to contribute.
Realising this ambition requires more support, greater employer engagement and reliable transport connections across the region
Ambition and Potential: The Region's Strengths
Young people in the region demonstrate high levels of confidence in their skills and are future-focused, often surpassing the national average in key areas:
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Skills Confidence: Confidence in essential skills is strong; 71% are confident in problem-solving and 79% in listening. This skill confidence is higher than the national average across a range of competencies, including numeracy (57% CPCA vs. 55% National) and literacy (65% CPCA vs. 61% National).
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Green Jobs Potential: Enthusiasm for sustainable careers is high, with 28% of young people considering a green job, surpassing the national average of 23%.
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Understanding Employers: 55% of CPCA young people feel they understand what skills employers are looking for, which is a higher level of confidence than the national figure of 49%.
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Local Confidence: Young people report greater confidence than the national average in the local availability of quality jobs (35% vs. 31% nationally) and good places to learn (57% vs. 55% nationally).
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Cultural Access: Perceived local access to cultural amenities is strong, with higher reported availability for Theatre (50% vs. 29% nationally) and Museums (36% vs. 25% nationally).
Connection Challenges: The Support Gap
Despite strong ambition, structural barriers related to support and connection are acute in the region:
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Mental Health Access: Only 38% of young people report they can access mental health support when needed. This is 3 percentage points below the national figure of 41%.
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Sense of Belonging: Young people in CPCA track 6 percentage points below the national average for feeling a sense of belonging, with only 49% agreeing they feel like they belong.
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Support Network: 53% of young people agree they have a support network, which is 3 percentage points below the national average of 56%.
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Skills Mismatch: Young people significantly undervalue foundational skills, with very few selecting numeracy (4%), literacy (5%), or digital skills (6%) as important for work.
Work Readiness and Connectivity Barriers
The biggest obstacles to turning ambition into progress are practical access and connectivity:
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Work Experience Gap: The critical link to employment is missing, with only 27% of young people reporting they were offered work experience in the last 12 months.
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Location as Barrier: 26% of young people cite travel or location as a barrier to work, far exceeding the national average of 18%.
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Transport Reliability: Only 29% of young people rate local public transport reliability as "Excellent or Good".
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Worry about Transport: 20% of CPCA respondents cite Transport as a local concern, significantly higher than the 13% national average.
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Financial Strain: Access to support for financial issues is limited to 21% of respondents, compared to 26% nationally.
