Young people want the Scottish Government to make tackling child poverty a “priority from day one”, according to a poll.
Some 2,600 young people aged 11–26 were asked what the new government should prioritise in its first 100 days in research from Save the Children Scotland and Young Scot.
Two thirds (66%) said fighting child poverty was a priority, the highest ranked issue, ahead of the NHS, education, climate change and the economy.
Some 43% said ministers are not doing enough to help tackle the problem, and 61% said they know families in their area affected by poverty.
The important thing now is that we listen and work together to deliver the change young people want to see
Claire Telfer, head of Scotland at Save the Children, said: “Young people have sent a clear message to the Scottish Government: tackling child poverty should be a priority from day one.
“It’s significant that child poverty was ranked above every other issue we asked about. Young people see the reality of poverty in their communities and want to see meaningful action to change it.
“The important thing now is that we listen and work together to deliver the change young people want to see.
“The Scottish Government has set an ambitious target to reduce the number of children experiencing poverty to less than one in 10 by 2030.
“While progress has been made, young people still see double that number – one in five of their peers – missing out on opportunities they need to thrive.”
She added: “We are calling on government to publish a revised child poverty delivery plan in the first 100 days that sets out how they will build on progress to date and meet these vital targets.
“Young people deserve a clear roadmap for change and it’s time to deliver.”
Too many young people see the impact of poverty every day and they are asking for action that matches the scale of the challenge so that the benefits are felt across generations
Young people also backed a range of measures to support children and families, including free food for under-18s in schools and colleges, improved mental health services, access to good quality homes and increased support through benefits such as the Scottish child payment.
Young Scot chief executive John Loughton said: “Scotland’s young people have spoken clearly – tackling child poverty should be the Scottish Government’s first priority. When two thirds of young people, in a poll of thousands, identify this as the issue that matters most, we should all listen.
“That’s exactly what Young Scot and Save the Children Scotland have done here, given young people that opportunity to be heard and provide a clear message for policymakers, government and all those working to tackle poverty.
“These findings show that young people understand poverty sits at the root of many of the systemic challenges facing Scotland and their message couldn’t be clearer – reducing child poverty should be not only a long-term ambition, but an immediate priority.
“Too many young people see the impact of poverty every day and they are asking for action that matches the scale of the challenge so that the benefits are felt across generations.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Tackling child poverty is critically important to the Scottish Government and our policies are estimated to keep around 100,000 children out of relative poverty this year.
“More than £111 million is being committed to updated plans in 2026-27 and we are also laying the foundations to raise the Scottish Child Payment to £40 a week per child under one in 2027-28, helping parents at this critical stage of their child’s life, with 12,000 expected to benefit.
“Our approach means Scottish Government policies are helping to keep around an estimated 100,000 children out of relative poverty this year alone, and we’re going further by investing £40 million to help parents boost their earnings through skills opportunities, expanding year-round childcare to all children from nine months to the end of primary school, delivering a national breakfast club programme backed by £100 million over three years, and taking other measures to support people through cost of living such as a basic food and bus price cap.”