Half of young people plan to leave Dumfries and Galloway
- Published
Some of these young people at Youth Beatz 2018 would have been asked the same questions as in this year's survey
More than 50% of young people in Dumfries and Galloway plan on leaving when they get older, according to new research.
In excess of 10,000 people aged 10-25 were asked by the council's youth work service about their views on the area.
The majority said they wanted to leave, unlike in 2018 when the same questions were asked and the majority wanted to stay.
The main reasons given for wanting to leave were travel, studies and work.
Noel Carson, 16, from Dumfries, said the biggest issue facing young people in the area was the lack of things for them to do.
"There's nothing to do in town and when people don't have the money to go into Carlisle they do something that they're not supposed to be doing," he said.
The teenager pointed to a trampoline park which was a big attraction.
Noel Carson was born and bred in Dumfries
However, he was unsure whether he would like to leave his hometown behind.
"I dinnae know, obviously all my family are down here but also I do want to go out and explore different places."
A range of methods were used to engage young people in the survey, including sessions at all 16 high schools in the region and 75% of primary schools. Focus events were also held at colleges, universities and youth groups.
It is believed that more than half of the young people living, working and studying in Dumfries and Galloway participated in the consultation.
They were asked questions about how they felt about their local community, issues and opportunities for young people as well as anonymous questions about gender, age and care status.
Of the 10,828 young people who responded, 55% wanted to leave with only 45% wanting to stay.
Jessica Stewart, 16, and Simone Maddern, 18, who are both from Moffat, are keen to move away when they are older.
Jessica Stewart, left, and Simone Maddern, right, both said they would like to move away from Moffat when they are older
"There's not much to do, it's quite boring for us people," Simone said.
"We've got those bus passes now which are good for getting places but other than that there's nothing really to do," Jessica added.
"I would quite like to go to Edinburgh or Glasgow, somewhere else in Scotland, just a bigger city with more opportunities for jobs and stuff."
The consultation also found that the top five issues people in the area faced were:
Smoking/vaping
Diet/body image
Mental health
Bullying
Money/budgeting/cost of living
It is a shift from the findings five years ago when young people said the biggest issues for them were bullying, followed by body image, mental health, smoking and transport.
This year's findings are due to be presented in a report at a council meeting next week.
The information in the report will be used to inform a five-year plan for the council's youth work service and used to inform the strategic planning and future proofing of services available to young people in Dumfries and Galloway.
Additional reporting from the Local Democracy Reporting Service.