Young people have said a lack of career opportunities are forcing them to think about leaving home.

In a survey by Dr Nicola Brink – Guernsey's Medical Officer of Health and Director of Public Health – housing, cost of living and transport were big headaches for the future.

Only 27% of the young people Brink heard from said they were confident in staying on the island.

Amber Thomson told BBC Guernsey: "I think that a lot of people kind of tend to go to uni[versity] and then they think, well there's not that much opportunity for me if I come back."

The 21-year-old studied environmental science and said she planned to move away for more career opportunities and to "see what else is out there in the world".

She said: "Guernsey is a really, really tiny place and when you start to look at the world as a whole you realise just how small it is and how little you have seen in life."

She valued the safety of island life but added: "I think that there's a real gap between the young people of Guernsey and then the older generations.

"I think that it's a real shame that we don't have any sense of community between the two groups at all" and said it would be good to bridge that gap.

Bill Nicholson, 21, said he was also considering a future off the island.

He said university life or moving away offered "exciting opportunities both personally and professionally, meeting new people and living in quite studentified areas".

He added: "Should a student move back [to Guernsey] it would mean drastic changes to their career prospects".

The report had also highlighted that young people felt the government did not listen to them.

Nicholson said the government should look at demand for stable career prospects, affordable housing and the need "for a place where they can feel welcome and that they can feel that they can flourish".

Maisie Foote from the wellbeing team at the Youth Commission said she was not surprised young people reported concerns about mental health and that there is often a waiting list for support services.

Foote added young islanders were "trying to navigate" the challenges of social media and the world they are growing up in.

She said: "We need a little more understanding, it's quite a difficult time to be young at the moment."

There was also a need for more free activities for young people to do.

The author of the survey, Dr Nicola Brink, said "we want the bailiwick to be a vibrant and happy place where young people can thrive."

Thomson said some young people felt lonely and noted "we don't talk to each other as much as we used to."

Follow BBC Guernsey on X, external and Facebook, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk, external.