Footballer and social media influencer top career choices for children - while being PM comes last

Sky News

Updated 24 June 2024 at 11:21 pm·1-min read

Being a footballer or a gamer are the most popular career choices for children, according to a new survey - with being prime minister coming bottom of the list.

Of 1,306 children aged six to 17 asked across the UK, almost a fifth (17%) said they wanted to be a footballer, with the same percentage choosing gamer or streamer - a type of social media influencer - as a career.

Just 4% picked prime minister as their job of choice.

The polling by YouGov for Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) charity was carried out in the days after the general election was announced and just as England and Scotland geared up for Euro 2024.

Traditional roles such as lawyer and vet tied on 7% while 4% chose activist as a career they would like to have.

Last May, data released by the Office for National Statistics found that the most common profession in England and Wales was a sales assistant.

It found that young people aged 16 to 34 were going into the engineering and tech sector more than those aged 50 and over.

Louise Parkes, chief executive of Gosh charity, said the new research reveals the "hopes and dreams of a generation of children and young people" and the new and emerging career areas that are capturing their attention.

She encouraged the public to donate to help the charity treat seriously ill children and give them the "best childhood possible" and hopefully go on to their dream careers.

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