Girlguiding UK - girls in the lead

Regional differences

Because of the sample sizes involved, it is only possible to report by region on the questions asked of all the age groups. For the most part, the findings in each region reflected those of the cohort as a whole, but there were a number of interesting regional differences, which are outlined here. All figures relate to the full age range of girls surveyed (7-21 years).

Please note:
UK = UK-wide
England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland = Countries
Northern England, Midlands, London etc = Regions

Education, training, skills and careers

• Unlike girls living in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, none of the girls living in Wales aspired to be a lawyer or solicitor when they grew up.

Society, culture and community

• Compared to girls living in the other countries, English girls are less likely to describe themselves as ‘very happy’ (36%).

Family and relationships

• Fewer girls living in England had seen their grandparents in the week prior to the research (43%) than in the other countries, with this figure falling even further for girls in London (22%).
• Girls living in the south of England were least likely to have seen their dad in the week prior to the research (67%), but were more likely to have spent time with a step-parent (24%).
• Just one in twenty London girls either lives with, or had spent time with a step-parent, in the previous week (5%).

Health and wellbeing

• English girls are the most likely to name one thing they would change about their physical appearance, with only 8% claiming they would change ‘nothing’. However, girls living in London claim to be most content with their physical appearance: 29% describe themselves as ‘very happy’ with the way they look, and they are also more likely than girls in other regions to claim that there is nothing they would change about the way they look (15%).
• Girls living in the south of England are the least content with their physical appearance, and are more likely than girls in other parts of England to describe themselves as ‘not happy at all’ with the way they look (13%).