Young people driven away from Guernsey by high prices

Guernsey’s young people do not see a future in the island, according to a new study.

The Quality of Life Report 2025 was compiled by the Guernsey Community Foundation (GCF) which found young people were being “driven away” by rising living costs.

It also found that 22% of pensioners,19% of children and 17% of working age adults lived in relative poverty in Guernsey.

Jim Roberts, the foundation’s chief executive and co-author of the report, said it was “intended to stimulate discussion before and after the election”.

The report is the first of its kind and makes a number of observations based on previously published data and a survey of 3,000 islanders.

The report found that 5% of islanders, about 3,200 people, often go without essentials like food and heating.

Half (51%) of the poorest households do not have carpets or floor coverings in every room and more than a third (38%) do not have a bed for every person in the household.

The report found that in some cases the lack of a bed was down to cost, but more often it was due to a lack of bedrooms, so family members were forced to share beds.

The GCF is a charitable organisation that conducts research, proposes changes to social policy and works with other charities to connect people in need in Guernsey.

Mr Roberts said the effects of poverty did “not appear to be fully or widely appreciated”.

He said the high cost of living meant “Guernsey is driving its people away”.

“Concerns about rising living costs and difficulties finding somewhere affordable to live are forcing some residents, especially young families, to move away, or to plan to move away.

“Even though they want to stay, they don’t see a future here, and that should concern us all.”

Mr Roberts said the report also highlighted that young people are experiencing more bullying and have lower self-esteem than ever before.

“A lot of the island’s young people are hurting. Low self-esteem, bullying, poor mental health, anxiety about the future.

“They are growing up in an island that is different to the one that their parents and their grandparents grew up in.”

The rate of high self esteem among pupils at schools dropped by 22% between 2016 and 2022.

Guernsey’s next general election is on 18 June 2025 – see a full list of the candidates here.