Young People in Cumbria Urged to Have Their Say in Big Future Survey
Young people across Cumbria are being encouraged to take part in a major national survey. About childhood, community life and hopes for the future.
The Big Future survey has been launched by Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England. It is open to children and young people across the country. It is designed to gather views on what life is like for young people today, what they are worried about, and what changes they want to see in the years ahead.
The survey is open now and is due to close at 11.59pm on Friday, October 23, 2026. It can be completed online using a phone, tablet, laptop or computer. The Children’s Commissioner’s office says most children will take around 5 minutes to complete it.
What is the Big Future survey?
The Big Future survey asks children and young people about their lives, their local area and their hopes for the future.
Questions cover topics such as:
- Whether there are fun things to do nearby
- How safe young people feel online and in their community
- What they worry about
- What they think would make childhood better
School pupils are also asked about school. With children aged 12 and over are shown extra questions about voting and worries.
The aim is to hear from as many children as possible. Including those whose voices are often less likely to be heard in national conversations.
Dame Rachel said she wants to listen to one million children before the survey closes. She said the answers will help show what children want from their communities, what concerns them most, and what they think a good childhood should look like.
Why it matters for Cumbria
For young people in Cumbria, the survey is a chance to raise issues that affect life in both rural and urban communities.
Children and teenagers in places such as Carlisle, Barrow, Kendal, Workington, Whitehaven, Penrith, Ulverston and more rural parts of the county may have different experiences from young people in larger cities.
Transport, access to youth activities, mental health support, online safety, housing, future jobs, education and rural isolation are all issues that can shape childhood in Cumbria. The survey gives young people a way to explain what is working, what is missing and what they would like adults and decision makers to understand.
Teenagers unsure about politics and the future
The survey comes at a time when many young people are uncertain about politics and their future.
Recent polling highlighted by the Children’s Commissioner found that half of 13 to 17-year-olds either did not know which political party they would support or were unsure whether they would vote at all in the next general election. It also found that nine in ten young people worry about the future, with concerns including jobs, money, education, housing and global conflict.
That makes the Big Future survey especially important. If voting rights are extended to 16 and 17-year-olds in the future, today’s teenagers could soon have a much bigger role in elections and public debate.
Schools, youth groups and families can help
Schools, colleges, youth groups and families are being encouraged to help children take part.
The Children’s Commissioner’s office has produced resources for use in lessons, assemblies, youth clubs and at home. These are designed to help young people understand the survey and think about the questions before answering.
Younger children may need help from an adult to understand some of the questions. Adults can explain unfamiliar terms, help with school details or local authority names, and support children who need extra help to complete the survey.
A chance for young voices to be heard
The Big Future survey is not just aimed at young people who are already involved in school councils, youth forums or campaigns. It is open to children and teenagers from all backgrounds.
For Cumbria, it gives young people a simple way to say what they enjoy about growing up here, what needs to improve, and what would help them feel safer, happier and more hopeful about the future.
The message from the Children’s Commissioner is clear: children’s views should not be treated as an afterthought. This survey gives young people in Cumbria a chance to speak directly about the future they want.
