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Young people feel "demonised" by politicians and the media, a report by two youth charities suggests. Nearly 750 young people completed an online poll for the British Youth Council (BYC) and YouthNet. Eighty per cent believed unfair portrayal in the media led to strained relations with older generations. The charities say the report is the first step in a campaign to get across young people's views on the government's "Respect" agenda.
The report by Lucja Wisniewska and Lucie Harris of YouthNet and Clare Oliver of BYC will be debated at a seminar in London on Tuesday attended by young people's representatives, politicians and journalists.
The report's authors said their research showed the more anti-social a behaviour was perceived to be, the less likely it is was that a young person would be involved.
Ninety-two per cent of respondents believed "happy slapping" and stealing were anti-social.
But only six per cent thought wearing a "hoodie" could be classed in that way with three-quarters of those questioned having worn one in the previous 12 months.
'Happy slapping'
The survey suggested it was younger people who were most likely to admit to anti-social behaviour.
A quarter of respondents in the 12-15 age group said they had done something anti-social in the previous week compared to 11% of those aged 22-24.
The report's authors were assisted by the charities' Young People's Advisory Group.
One member, Katie, 17, said the report showed how strongly young people felt about being misrepresented.
"Results from this research show that most young people feel as strongly about anti-social behaviour as older people and we do not want to be judged solely on the actions of a few troublemaking individuals," she said.