Half of Britons rate the British education system as good, but lack of public funding seen as the biggest threat

Ipsos, one of the world's leading market research companies, announces the findings of a new 30-country study looking at people’s attitudes to education and the lives of young people. The 2025 Education Monitor reveals a global consensus on controlling social media for children and widespread concern for youth mental health. However, the findings in Great Britain highlight a nation that is more optimistic about its education system than many European counterparts but holds particularly high levels of concern about the impact of technology and public funding.

Key findings 

• Widespread support for banning under-14s from social media: An average of 71% across 30 countries believe children under 14 should not be able to access social media, both inside and outside of school. In Great Britain, this sentiment is shared by 70% of the public, a figure that has risen by 7 ppts since 2024.
• And strong support for banning smartphones in schools: British appetite for tech regulation in schools is even stronger than the global average - 63% of Britons support a ban on smartphones in schools (vs. 55% globally), and 43% would ban AI tools like ChatGPT (vs. 37% globally).
• Britons among the most positive about their education system: Half (49%) of Britons describe the quality of the UK education system as "good," the 5th highest score across all 30 countries surveyed and a notable contrast to the negative balance of opinion in countries like Türkiye (63% poor), Hungary (59% poor), and France (55% poor).
• But funding a critical issue: However, when asked about the greatest challenges, Britons are most likely to cite a lack of public funding (37%), a concern 11 ppts higher than the global average and the second highest of all countries surveyed, behind only Argentina. Overcrowded classrooms (31% vs 23% global average) and staff wellbeing (24% vs 14% global average) are also significantly greater concerns in the UK.
• Social media, not mental health, seen as the biggest issue affecting young people in Britain: Globally, mental health is seen as the top challenge for young people (33%). In Great Britain, however, the biggest perceived challenge is the effects of social media and technology, such as AI, cited by 34% of the public. While still a major concern, mental health ranks second in the UK (32%). Interestingly, while nearly half of Britons (48%) believe the mental health of young people is poor, this is below the global average of 53%. Conversely, Britons are more concerned about the physical health of young people than the global average (40% say it is poor vs. 37% globally).
• History remains Britain's favourite school subject: When it comes to which subjects people most enjoyed at school, history comes out top in Great Britain, with 34% saying it was their favourite. This is followed closely by science (31%) and maths (28%). Maths, however, proves divisive. While a favourite for many, it is tied with religion as the most least-liked subject, with 31% of Britons recalling it unfavourably from their school days.
• The idea of “boys’ subjects” and “girls’ subjects” is fading with younger generations, a trend that is especially pronounced in GB: Across the 30 countries surveyed, there’s a clear distinction among Baby Boomers between subjects which were popular with boys and those that were popular with girls. In Great Britain, this trend is still present: overall men are significantly more likely than women to name science (37% vs 25%) and maths (33% vs 23%) as a favourite subject, while women are more likely to have preferred subjects like art (21% vs 12%) and literature (23% vs 9%). However, the generational breakdown shows these stereotypes are rapidly eroding, with the most dramatic change seen in STEM subjects:
  • For science, the gender gap in preference among British Baby Boomers was a huge 17 percentage points in favour of men. Among Gen Z Britons that gap has collapsed to 0.3 ppts, indicating near-parity.
  • For maths, a significant 11 ppt gender gap among Baby Boomers has swung the other way, with Gen Z women now 9 ppts more likely to list maths as a favourite subject than Gen Z men.
  • For English language, a 22 ppt gap in favour of women among Baby Boomers is down to 4 ppts in favour of women among Gen Z.
• GB an outlier in expecting rising pupil numbers: Looking ahead, Britain is one of the few countries expecting a rise in pupil numbers over the next five years (34%), alongside Ireland and Australia. This is in stark contrast to the global picture, where a majority of countries, particularly in Europe and Asia, are bracing for falling school rolls.

Commenting on the findings, Simon Atkinson, Chief Knowledge Officer at Ipsos said:

Our Global Education Monitor reveals a fascinating paradox in British public opinion. On one hand, Britons are prouder of their education system than many other nations, with nearly half rating it as good—the fifth-highest score in our 30-country study. Yet, this pride is on a collision course with deep-seated anxieties about the resources and pressures facing our schools.

What’s particularly striking is where the UK deviates from the global consensus. While the rest of the world sees youth mental health as the single biggest challenge, Britons point the finger squarely at the effects of social media and technology, with 34% citing it as the top issue for young people. This tech anxiety is palpable, with 70% of the public backing a ban on social media for under-14s.This concern is compounded by a starkly practical fear: a lack of public funding is seen as the number one challenge to the education system itself, a worry that is 11 points above the global average. When you combine this with the fact that Britain is one of the few countries expecting pupil numbers to rise, not fall, you see a public that is acutely aware of a system under immense strain.

Download the full report

Technical note: 

• Ipsos interviewed 23,700 people online between June 20, 2025 and July 4, 2025 in 30 countries. Quotas were set to ensure representativeness and data have been weighted to the known population profile of each country. The sample consists of approximately 2,000 individuals in Japan, 1,000 individuals each in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, Spain, and the U.S., and 500 individuals each in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, and Türkiye. The sample in India consists of approximately 2,200 individuals, of whom approximately 1,800 were interviewed face-to-face and 400 were interviewed online.