TALENT IS EVERYWHERE. BUT OPPORTUNITY IS NOT.

The UK has a class problem—young people from working-class backgrounds have a harder time reaching their potential in education and work.

Unheard Voices is our survey of 16-21 year olds, in partnership with LV=, where they tell us all about their lives: their hopes, their opinions, what they're worried about and the barriers they're facing.

And what they're saying is alarming.

51%

of students planning to go to university say their choice of where to go will be limited by their finances
‍

45%

of university students have skipped meals because they're short of money

‍

47%

of university students from low-income backgrounds say their learning has been negatively impacted by their finances

“

I’m planning to go to a university close to home and commute for hours each day—not out of choice, but out of fear that I wouldn’t be able to afford to live alone.

”

Aaron Sajed Akhtar

Aspiring engineering student

missing ingredients for success

Almost half (47%) of school and college students from working-class backgrounds lack a quiet space to study at home, three in ten (30%) don’t have access to necessary textbooks and revision guides and almost a quarter (23%) don’t have access to a computer for studying.

When asked if they would be able to afford the essentials while at university from student finance alone—regardless of if they lived at home while studying—nearly half (47%) of those from working-class backgrounds said no or that they didn’t know.

struggling, not studying

Many current undergrads describe struggling to afford the basics. Almost one in five (17%) has used short-term credit like payday loans or buy now, pay later because of a lack of money.

Those from working-class backgrounds face an even greater struggle. One in four (25%) said they have skipped lectures or other teaching because they couldn’t afford to go.

Read the full report

about Unheard Voices

Unheard Voices is a survey of around 2,000 16-21 year olds from across the UK that took place in June and July 2025.

The results let us explore the experiences of young people from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

For more info on how we carried out the research, read the full report.

This year, the research was funded and supported by LV=.

As a leading UK life and pensions mutual insurer, LV= is committed to having a positive and lasting impact on society and communities and supports causes that create lasting change.

previous research

We've been using Unheard Voices to platform young people's views since 2023.

Find the results from previous years here: