“Honestly, absolutely not – I don’t ever see myself owning my own house because of how expensive it is,” says Ivy Forest, 25, from Bournemouth.
“I’m trying to save up to be able to do [driving lessons], and every time I save up enough, the price increases. So then I’ve got to save more, and then again, by the time I reach that, they’ve increased again.”
The council employee says not being able to drive has negatively impacted her work, with her role requiring her to make home visits. But a lack of financial security means she must rely on colleagues for the time being.
And Ms Forest is just one of millions of young people across the UK being forced to delay reaching major life milestones as a lack of financial security impacts her generation.
New research from Trussell has found that around half of 16- to 25-year-olds (47 per cent) are now putting off major life events like moving out and learning to drive.
This rises to 55 per cent when it comes to buying a home, as stagnant wages and rising property prices make buying a home much harder for today’s younger generation.
open image in gallery“I don’t know anybody in my age bracket that has managed to move out without significant family support,” says Sharne, 23, “it doesn’t help when you don’t have anything to fall back on like a safety net.”
She has just completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Manchester, and will soon move to St Andrews for a postgraduate.
“In one sense I’ve been lucky because I’m a student,” Sharne said.
“I moved out at 18, but it was only to go to uni. If that hadn’t happened, there’s no way I would have moved out and I probably still wouldn’t have now”.
“The idea of starting a family one day is out of the question because of how costly it is” she added.
Even during her studies, Sharne says that a lack of financial backing meant she often felt her student life was impacted.
“I’d be doing my assignment whilst also thinking, ‘How can I feed myself this week?’”, she said.
“Coming from my background, you don’t win a lot.”
Asking specifically young people who experience financial hardship growing up, the proportion who said that money pressures had prevented them from moving out rose to 54 per cent, Trussell found.
Those who said they had delayed them learning to drive rose to nearly two-thirds (61 per cent).
open image in galleryHelen Barnard, director of policy and research at Trussell, said: “Today’s figures confirm what food banks and communities across the UK see every day: that too many young people are being held back because of financial barriers that are out of their control.
“Major milestones that previous generations often took for granted – like moving out of home or learning to drive – have become luxuries that are increasingly out of reach”
More than four in 10 (45 per cent) of the young people surveyed also said job opportunities in their local area were poor.
And while 43 per cent of those looking for work felt they would need to move elsewhere to find employment, just a third (34 per cent) thought they could afford to do so.
The data shows that young people are being “locked out of work”, Ms Barnard said, “as they face limited job opportunities and cannot afford to move elsewhere to find work.”
“Young people who grew up in financial hardship face the greatest barriers of all – and we know these barriers can shape people’s lives for years to come, limiting access to housing, education and employment.”
Ms Forest says that job hunting for her was a “very difficult process,” because “we as Gen Z have a stigma around us being lazy and not wanting to work, or not having a high work ethic.”
open image in galleryShe also faced extra barriers as a care leaver, crediting national charity Spear for helping her to build her career.
Financial pressures may also be a significant factor in Britain’s youth unemployment crisis, the findings reveal, with young people who experienced hardship growing up almost twice as likely to not be in education, employment or training (Neet) as people who didn’t (27 per cent compared with 15).
The number of Neets rose to 1.01 million in the three months from January to March, the latest government data shows.
This figure could rise to 1.25 million by 2031 – representing one in six young people – without action, Alan Milburn has warned. The former Labour minister is continuing his government-commissioned review into youth unemployment, which is expected to report in the autumn.
Iona Ledwidge, CEO of Spear, said: “Young people in the UK are facing a complex set of challenges right now. In his interim report on young people and work, Alan Milburn called it ‘a combination of pressures that no previous generation has experienced simultaneously’. It’s a really tough jobs market, and getting a foot on the property ladder can feel out of reach.
“It can be hard for young people to remain hopeful in the face of these challenges. That’s why Spear focuses on coaching young people to recognise that they do have choices, and with the right support, they can step into meaningful work.”
In March 2026, the government launched a £2.5bn youth employment support drive, including a new apprenticeship bursary for families on universal credit. It has previously said it wants to see “the potential of young people up and down this country fully realised, whether that be through education, training or work”