Scouts Canada survey reveals concerns about social skills of COVID-era kids

A new survey by Scouts Canada has revealed what the group calls “surprisingly negative opinions” about the social skills of Canadian youth aged 10 to 21 with serious concerns about their future prospects.

The survey of 1,000 random Canadians showed that many feel kids today lack soft skills, social ability, and aren’t ready to tackle the future challenges that come with landing jobs and careers.

In fact, over a third of Canadians surveyed (34.4 per cent) aren’t confident that they’ll be able get jobs and be successful adults.

Some of the blame is on parents too, according to the survey, which found 74.7 per cent believe that Gen X (1965-1976), Millennial (1977-1995) and Generation Z (1996-2010) parents have been ‘too soft’ on their kids, contributing to their issues.

On top of that, over 91 per cent of Canadians in the survey feel kids have no ‘soft skills,’ can’t cope with stress and lack basic etiquette.

“Asked what are the biggest dangers to kids today, Canadians said: social media channels, screens and lack of development, social/peer pressure, video games and helicopter parenting,” a Scouts Canada release states.

Growing up during the COVID pandemic has put these kids at a marked disadvantage, 94.7 per cent of Canadians believe.

Despite all this pessimism, Scouts Canada, which touts itself as the country’s leading co-ed youth organization, says there’s still hope and kids need support and help more now than ever.

“No one should ever be counting out the potential of Canadian kids,” said Kathryn Ashby, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications for Scouts Canada.

“We all know that the current cohort of Canada’s 10-21-year-olds have had unique challenges with COVID shutdowns and an increasingly isolating digital world, but Canadians seem to be massively underestimating the resilience and potential of our kids. Kids just need the right experiences and mentors to bring out their confidence.”

So how can we turn things around?

According to the survey, kids need more exposure to in-person social situations and more opportunities where they can problem-solve on their own without parental intervention.

No methodology was provided