Not having a garden makes children materialistically poor

Not having access to a garden or outdoor space leaves children deprived and more likely to be unhappy than those with one.

According to research published by The Children’ Society, children who are ‘materially deprived’ of certain possessions or experiences are five times likely to be unhappier.

The charity’s Missing Out report finds that there are ten items or experiences that children aged between eight and fifteen years of age say they need to have a normal life.

The item most commonly withheld was pocket money.

Also on the list was family holidays, access to a garden or outdoor space, the ‘right’ clothes, personal music player, family days out, cable TV and a family car.

Chief Executive of The Children’s Society, Bob Reitemeier said: “Too often we try to understand what it means to be poor from the perspective of parents and ignore the children. For the first time, this research asks children themselves what they need to live a normal kind of life.

“It shows that many children are missing out on normal, everyday things, like pocket money, or trips out with their family. Children have shown us they have a clear idea of what makes them happy, and those missing out on these items are much unhappier than their peers.”

But the charity believes that ‘materially deprived’ children can be living in households not usually classed as poor and so not included in research addressing child poverty.