Many School Leavers 'Unhappy'
Many teenagers are unhappy by the time they leave school, often feeling like failures and lacking confidence, according to research.
It also shows a gap between the sexes,with girls less likely to say they feel happy than their male classmates.
The study, published by the Demos think tank, suggests that happiness among teenagers declines as they grow up, with many concerned that their schooling is only helping them to pass exams.
The findings come amid growing calls for youngsters to be taught skills and abilities outside of lessons, such as character and grit, that will help them later in life.
A survey of around 1,000 UK students, conducted as part of the study, found that 18-year-olds - those in their final year of sixth form - are almost half as likely to feel happy in their life as 14-year-olds (33% compared with 60%).
More than two thirds (68%) say they are more likely to feel like a failure if they do not succeed at a task, compared with just under half (46%) of 14-year-olds.
Nearly a third of the final year students polled said that they think their school is only focused on preparing them to succeed in exams, compared with 10.5% of 14-year-olds. They were also more likely to feel that their teachers and parents do not think they will be successful later in life.
The findings did show that overall, 88% of all the 14-year-olds questioned think that they will be successful, with just under two thirds (62%) saying they think they will achieve more than their parents.
But there was a gender gap, with just under two fifths of girls questioned (39%) saying they feel happy, compared with half of boys, and 68% saying that they feel like a failure if they fail to accomplish a task, against 49% of boys.
The think tank argues that more needs to be done, inside and outside of school, to give youngsters the right mindset and self-belief they need as adults.
Report author Louis Reynolds said: This report shows that mindsets matter - they can hold us back or propel us forward to achieve more. This insight needs to be applied more systematically in our education system.
Teachers, policymakers and education experts increasingly agree that a young person's wellbeing, success in education and overall life outcomes are affected by much more than academic grades - including their character attributes, and their social and emotional skills.''
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has previously suggested that learning traits such as perseverance and confidence are ''equally important'' to teenagers as gaining good exam results.
:: The Populus poll conducted for the report surveyed 1,000 14-18-year-olds in England, Scotland and Wales.