More than 50% of young people want to leave Guernsey to avoid high cost of living

ITV News

06-06-2025

Young people in Guernsey say they can't see themselves settling down in the island due to the high cost of living and lack of affordable housing.
It comes after a survey by OSA Recruitment, this week, found that less than half of islanders aged between 16 and 27 plan to stay in Guernsey.
Recent figures from IoD Guernsey also found the average price for buying a house was more than £604,000 at the end of 2024, with rent costing more than £2,000 per month on average.
Neave-Chatting Tonks, 18, told ITV News that she does not see a future living in Guernsey, saying she works two jobs already to afford to live.
She says: "The price of renting is extremely high. You can't save on top of renting, so that's why people are feeling forced to go elsewhere, even though Guernsey is where they want to live and bring up a family, but it's not possible in any shape or form.
"We'd all like to live outside the home, but we can't do anything about it, so of course we're going to look at the UK, but it's a shame."
Neave, who went straight into work after leaving school at 16, also says that the focus on Guernsey's finance industry makes many young people feel they need to leave to progress into something else.
Neave says: "It's sad that we've come to the point where our lives are so determined by money.
"Even at 18, you have to worry about whether you can live here. Do I get this job? Because what if I need to move? Or what if this job doesn't give me enough money to afford to be able to live here?"
"It's a real shame because the childhood that most of us have had here, I'd love for my children to have, but the reality is, would that be possible? Would I be able to have a house? I just don't think it is possible at all."
Neave said she wants those elected at this month's election to avoid overpromising and put forward "realistic" solutions for lowering the cost of living.
Neave's sentiment is one reflected by many young people.
Zosia Damsell, a vet who grew up in Guernsey but now lives in Kent, says finding more affordable housing in London was easier than trying in the island.
She explains: "Guernsey's a great place to have grown up, but I think, in your twenties, there's a bit of a gap where people struggle to either live there, or they want to go off and do other things."
The Guernsey Community Foundation's recent Quality of Life Report reflected that levels of low self-esteem and high rates of bullying are also negatively impacting the younger generation.
Jim Roberts, from the Foundation, said the report does not "paint a pretty picture" of what it is like to be young in Guernsey.
He is now calling on prospective States members to bring about "concrete" change.
Jim explains: "We wanted the information in the report to influence debate and to get people thinking again and get people talking.
"Islanders also - when they are talking to candidates - need to put questions to them and try to work out what makes them tick and what their concrete plans are for what's around the corner.
"Often, what happens is you get some kind of vague platitudes, and it's a little light on detail.