Self confidence
Definition
The proportion of young people aged 11 to 16 who agree or strongly agree that they feel positive and confident about themselves, as measured by the Victoria University of Wellington's Youth Connectedness Study.
Relevance
Self-confidence is important for positive youth development. Young people who face the future with confidence are more likely to engage in actions and behaviours that keep themselves safe and help them to meet their immediate and longer-term goals.
Current level and trends
In the 2007 Youth Connectedness Study, the majority of young people, (76.8 percent) said that they felt confident and positive about themselves.
Just 4.7 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed.
Proportion of young people aged 11 to 16 reporting 'I feel confident and positive about myself', 2007
Source: Youth Connectedness Study, Victoria University of Wellington, 2007
These are very similar results to those found in 2006, when 80.2 percent of the same group of young people said that they felt confident and positive about themselves, and just 4.3 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed.
Note: 2006 data is for young people aged 10 to 15, and 2007 data is for the same young people one year later, aged 11 to 16.
