Two thirds of Britons back raising age of criminal responsibility
New polling shows 68% of the public want the age of criminal responsibility raised to at least 12, with majorities across every party – including 62% of Conservative and 63% of Reform UK 2024 voters
62% did not know the age is currently 10 in England and Wales – one of the lowest in Europe
Youth justice emerges as the least trusted part of the justice system, with 54% expressing little or no confidence – lower than police, courts, prisons and probation
Youth services and early intervention are the public's top choice for new spending to cut crime in general (selected by 25%) – followed by drug, alcohol and mental health treatment (23%), prison-building (21%) and police (20%).
The public wants change on how the justice system treats children, new polling by the Common Ground Justice Project and Focaldata reveals.
More than two thirds of Britons (68%) say a child should be at least 12 before they can be held legally responsible for a crime. In England and Wales the age is currently 10 – among the lowest in Europe, and below Scotland, which raised its age to 12 in 2021.
Support crosses the political spectrum: majorities of voters for every major party back raising the age, including 62% of Conservative and 63% of Reform UK voters.
The polling shows low awareness of the current level of criminal responsibility – 62% of respondents did not know the age in England and Wales is 10.
The findings also show that youth justice registers the lowest public confidence of any part of the justice system. Just 33% of the public express confidence in youth justice services – compared to 51% for the police, 49% for courts and 41% for prisons. 54% have little or no confidence in youth justice.
Among those with low confidence, three concerns rank equally: that the system is too soft on offenders (40%), that it is underfunded and under-resourced (39%), and that it fails to reduce reoffending (39%).
Asked where the government should spend new money to cut crime in general, the public's top choice is youth services and early intervention (25%), ahead of drug, alcohol and mental health treatment (23%), prison building (21%) and policing (20%). Those personally affected by crime in the past three years are more likely to choose treatment services than those who haven't (28% vs 20%).
And when a child commits a serious crime, only 17% say the child alone should be held accountable. Around 80% locate responsibility more broadly: with the child and their parents (49%), or with the child, parents and local services together (23%).
Jacob Dunne, co-founder of the Common Ground Justice Project, said:
“The public's message is clear: they’ve lost confidence in a youth justice system they see as ineffective and underfunded. While people clearly want to see better accountability for children who cause harm and their parents, it’s striking that the most popular option for more government spending is on youth services, early intervention and community treatment.”
Notes to editors
Focaldata surveyed 1,493 UK adults aged 18+ between 5–8 June 2026 for the Common Ground Justice Project. Data are weighted by age, gender, education, region and recalled 2024 general election vote.
The age of criminal responsibility is 10 in England and Wales and Northern Ireland, and 12 in Scotland.
Source for citation: Polling by the Common Ground Justice Project and Focaldata.
Full data tables available on Focaldata’s website here
The Common Ground Justice Project is an independent non-profit working to build cross-spectrum public and political support for criminal justice reform, hosted by the Centre for Justice Innovation. Find out more at www.commongroundjustice.uk.