Marcus Rashford, Billie Eilish, KSI, David Attenborough, and the Queen are among the public figures to have earned the respect of young people

Marcus Rashford, Billie Eilish, KSI, David Attenborough, and the Queen are among the public figures to have earned the respect of young people, with bravery and resilience the qualities they most admire, a survey has found.

The poll for youth health charity stem4 also shows that young people are optimistic about the post-Covid future but are focusing on health and happiness rather than money.

Last year, the charity, which supports young people with problems such as depression and self-harm, launched the first Youth Mental Health Day. The theme of this year’s event, taking place on 7th September, is #StrideForward, with a focus on building back confidence and positive mental health following the disruption caused by the pandemic.

Ahead of the event, stem4 asked 1000 teenagers and young people in the UK about their hopes for the future. They were asked to choose the three celebrities they most respected in different categories. Billie Eilish is the most admired musician, chosen by 26% of respondents, ahead of Stormzy on 21% and Harry Styles on 19%. KSI topped the poll of online creators on 37%, scoring considerably more highly than PewDiePie (24%) and Molly-Mae Hague (18%).

The Queen is the most admired public figure on 25%, ahead of Prince Harry (22%), Meghan Markle (21%), Bill Gates (17%), Dr Alex George (16%) Boris Johnson (14%), Kate Middleton (11%) and Prince William (10%).

The most common reason for admiring public figures is: “they are brave and resilient, and even when things go wrong, or they are criticised, they carry on (53%) “followed by “they stand up for people’s rights and make society a better place”. Only 6% of young people admire and respect public figures because they are rich and famous. Reflecting this, is high levels of support for social and environmental campaigners. Marcus Rashford (34%), Lewis Hamilton (31%) and Raheem Sterling (19%) are the most admired sportspeople, while David Attenborough (54%), Captain Tom Moore (33%) and Greta Thunberg (28%) are the most popular inspiring people.

Dr Nihara Krause, Founder and CEO at stem4, said: “To earn the respect of young people today you don’t need to earn a fortune or have good looks. It’s far more important that you show bravery, resilience, and compassion for others and for nature. Those are certainly qualities the Queen shares with some of the other names on this list such as David Attenborough and Marcus Rashford. It’s also significant that many of the most admired famous people are those, like Billie Eilish and Prince Harry, who have been open about their own mental health challenges. Problems like anxiety, depression and self-harm are sadly very common among young people and it makes a huge difference to them when public figures have the courage to open up.”

Nevertheless, when young people were asked which category of person they most admired, family and friends, along with doctors and nurses, scored far more highly than celebrities, with public officials and politicians bottom of the table.

Young people’s most common aspirations for the future are “just being healthy and happy”, expressed by 70% of respondents, and “having a stable job” (56%). Only 27% say they want “to make a lot of money”. Most are optimistic about the future, with 80% believing it is likely they will achieve their goals, although 42% described lack of confidence or fear of failure as a barrier.

Dr Nihara Krause added: “This has been a difficult time for most of us, but for young people in particular. Before the pandemic many of them were already vulnerable, and experiencing a range of problems. The disruptions they have experienced to their education, social connections, future focus and career aspirations have contributed to increased worries and a loss of confidence. However, what shines through from this survey is a sense of hope and optimism about the post-pandemic future. Young people also have a clear idea of what’s most important to them – they want to be healthy and happy and have stable jobs. We should be working collectively to help them achieve these aspirations.”

As part of Youth Mental Health Day, stem4 is working with schools to encourage students to #StrideForward – the theme of this year’s event. It is giving them opportunities to reflect on their feelings over the past year, to express their goals creatively (for example through music, art, or creative writing), and then make a commitment to themselves to take positive strides forward.