Short of typical concerns about bath time or eating copious amounts broccoli – children also share many concerns with adults, including poverty and climate change.
According to a new study called Small Voices, Big Dreams, one third of 6,200 children surveyed globally cited pollution as their biggest concern.
The survey coincides with the United Nation’s Universal Children’s Day, which was established in 1954 to be observed as a day of worldwide understanding and bonding between children.
“It’s a day marked by the United Nations to honour children,” said Mark Lukowski, CEO of the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC) in a telephone interview.
The CCFC is a Canadian-based registered charity and child-centred international development organization operating in Paraguay Nicaragua, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Southern India.
Of the 400 Canadian children surveyed, all between the ages of 10-12, 20 per cent said they were concerned about climate change, while 50 per said that stopping or decreasing litter was one thing they could do to change the environment around their community.
The report and the pressing environmental concerns of the children come as timely reminders: CCFC has just launched its Christmas Wish program in support of drought-ridden Burkina Faso.
“Listening to the voices of children contributes to our understanding of how they view and experience the world and helps guide our priorities and programs,” said Lukowski. “We are reminded that children can think beyond themselves and consider how their world can be improved.”
In developing countries the survey was conducted in the local language while in developed countries, children filled out an online survey.
The survey was commissioned by the CCFC together with the ChildFund Alliance. It was conducted in 36 developing countries as well as 11 developed countries during June and July of 2012.