New research says 86 per cent feel they have fewer chances to connect and create than previous generations

YOUNG people in Wales are being left with “nowhere to go” as rising costs, poor transport and the decline of community spaces make it harder to meet, create and build confidence, new research suggests.

A study commissioned by the Roundhouse found that 86 per cent of 18-to-30-year-olds in Wales believe they have fewer in-person opportunities than previous generations to connect with others, be creative and build confidence outside school or work.

The findings point to growing concern over a generation increasingly pushed online, with fewer affordable places to meet, perform, volunteer, learn new skills or take part in creative activities.

More than a third of young people questioned cited a lack of safe spaces, including youth clubs, community centres and civic venues, as one of the biggest barriers to feeling connected to a community.

Financial pressures were also identified as a major issue, with 43 per cent pointing to the cost of activities, transport and participation.

More than half said they did not have enough access to creative opportunities and spaces such as music, performance, arts and dance, while one in five said most of their social interaction now takes place online.

For many young people in rural parts of Wales, those barriers can be even more pronounced, with limited public transport, fewer youth facilities and rising costs making it harder to access opportunities outside school, college or work.

The findings come amid growing concern about youth anxiety, loneliness and economic inactivity. Former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn recently warned of an “anxious generation” struggling to adapt to working life.

Marcus Davey CBE, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the Roundhouse, said: “This research paints a worrying picture of life for many young people in Britain today.

“Too often, opportunities to build belonging, confidence and creativity are shaped by cost, postcode and access.

“Places like the Roundhouse are part of the solution, providing safe, affordable spaces where young people can connect, develop skills, improve wellbeing and access life-changing opportunities.

“No young person’s future should depend on where they grew up or what they can afford.”

The Roundhouse, a youth charity and multi-arts venue based in Camden, London, has also released its 20-year impact report, marking £50 million invested in more than 100,000 young people since it reopened as a youth arts charity in 2006.

It says it has delivered more than 35,000 creative sessions and provided 60,000 hours of studio time from £1 an hour.

The organisation has now launched a Young Creatives Commission with the Centre for Young Lives, aimed at exploring how access to arts and creative opportunities can be rebuilt.

The research was carried out online by Research Without Barriers between May 15 and May 18, 2026, and surveyed 1,002 UK adults aged between 18 and 30.

However, the Wales-only sample size was not disclosed, meaning the findings should be treated as indicative rather than definitive.

BROADCASTERS’ impartiality rules may be limiting proper scrutiny of political claims during election campaigns, according to a new Cardiff University report.

Academics from the university’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture spent 10 weeks analysing coverage of May’s elections in Wales, Scotland and England.

The study focused in particular on the Senedd election, which was the first held under Wales’ new voting system and following the expansion of the Senedd from 60 to 96 members.

Researchers found that scrutiny of policy and campaigning was limited in day-to-day coverage of the Welsh election.

Analysis of relevant television news items showed that 49% contained no scrutiny, 29% contained substantial scrutiny, and 22% included only brief scrutiny.

This means more than 70% of political claims on TV news received no scrutiny or only limited questioning.

The report found that scrutiny was stronger when coverage focused on one party at a time, or during one-to-one interviews. It was weaker in reports that attempted to include all six major parties in a single item.

Professor Stephen Cushion, who leads the project, said the findings raised serious questions about how the UK’s due impartiality rules are being applied during election campaigns.

He said: “Our new study suggests the UK’s current rules on broadcast impartiality limited the scrutiny of political parties across the English, Scottish and Welsh elections.

“In day-to-day reporting, the major broadcasters had to reflect a wide range of parties across three different contests – but the breadth of perspectives limited the depth of analysis, including the interrogation of specific policies and party political claims.

“This does not mean impartiality should be abandoned in a Fox News style way, but the rules need to be rethought to give broadcasters the flexibility to provide greater scrutiny in day-to-day news reporting.”

The report says broadcasters faced a significant challenge during the Senedd campaign, as they had to explain a new electoral system, the expansion of the institution, and how voters’ choices would translate into representation.

The Senedd election was also held at the same time as the Scottish election and English local elections, meaning Wales had to compete for attention in UK-wide bulletins.

Professor Cushion added: “Overall, the findings show that broadcasters played an important role in making the Senedd election visible and accessible to audiences.

“However, the analysis also identifies clear challenges. Future coverage needs to ensure that efforts to represent a broad range of parties, report public opinion and adapt election coverage for digital audiences are matched by clear explanation, consistent scrutiny and substantive engagement with policy debates in day-to-day reporting.”

The report, Reporting the 2026 UK Elections, with Wales in Focus: TV, Online and Social Media Coverage of the Senedd, has now been published by Cardiff University.

Davies says Henry Nowak case exposes institutional failings as police watchdog investigation continues

A CALL has been made for a Stephen Lawrence-style public inquiry after murdered university student Henry Nowak was handcuffed by police as he lay dying in the street.

Andrew RT Davies, Conservative Senedd member for South Wales Central, said the case raised serious questions about police judgement, institutional culture and the way officers respond when allegations of racism are made at chaotic crime scenes.

Henry, 18, was stabbed five times in Southampton on December 3, 2025, by Vickrum Digwa, 23, who later falsely claimed the teenager had racially abused him and knocked off his turban.

That account was rejected in court. Prosecutors described it as a “wicked lie”, and Digwa was jailed for life at Southampton Crown Court on Monday (June 1), with a minimum term of 21 years.

Body-worn footage released after the case showed officers initially treating Henry as a suspect, handcuffing him and reading him his rights despite his repeated pleas that he had been stabbed and could not breathe.

Hampshire Police has apologised, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the force’s response.

Mr Davies said the case should now be examined through a wider public inquiry, arguing that it exposed cultural and structural failings beyond the actions of individual officers.

He said: “The appalling footage in which Henry Nowak was handcuffed as he bled to death has shocked many people, but attributing all blame to the officers involved would be a mistake.

“Henry Nowak’s treatment was the result of a culture of anti-racism under which white people face discrimination and are treated with suspicion.

“We need a Stephen Lawrence-style inquiry to root out these cultural and structural failings within our institutions.”

The comparison is a highly charged one. The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, published in 1999, found the Metropolitan Police to be institutionally racist following the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in 1993.

Mr Davies is arguing for a similarly far-reaching examination of institutional assumptions, but from a very different perspective — claiming that modern policing culture may now cause officers to give undue weight to allegations of racism even when the facts are unclear.

Henry’s family has also strongly criticised the way he was treated, although they have placed responsibility for his murder firmly on Digwa.

His father, Mark Nowak, said outside court that Henry’s treatment by police was “inhumane and degrading” and called for a full and transparent investigation.

The court heard that Digwa attacked Henry with a 21cm blade which he claimed to carry as part of his Sikh faith. However, he was also carrying a smaller ceremonial kirpan, and the judge said he had brought shame on his family, his community and his religion.

Representatives of the Sikh community have condemned the murder and stressed that Digwa’s actions were entirely contrary to Sikh teaching.

The case has now prompted wider questions about knife crime, religious exemptions in weapons law, police decision-making, and whether officers were too quick to accept Digwa’s false account of events.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has described the case as “awful” and “shocking”, while ministers have indicated that the sentence may be reviewed.

For now, the formal scrutiny rests with the IOPC. But Mr Davies’ intervention will intensify pressure for the investigation to examine not only what individual officers did, but why Henry Nowak was treated as a suspect while his killer’s false account was initially believed.