Footballer or gamer top career choice for children while being PM comes bottom

Footballer and gamer are the most popular career choices for children, according to a survey which saw being prime minister come bottom of the list.

Polling by YouGov for Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) charity was carried out in the days after the General Election was announced and just as England and Scotland geared up for the Euros.

Of 1,306 children aged six to 17 asked across the UK, almost a fifth (17%) said they wanted to be a footballer, with the same percentage choosing gamer or streamer – which is a type of social media influencer – as a career.

The same percentage chose activist as a career they would like, while traditional roles such as vet and lawyer tied on 7%.

The research by Gosh charity coincides with its new campaign highlighting the impact of serious illness on childhood.

Louise Parkes, chief executive of Gosh charity, said: “Our new research reveals the hopes and dreams of a generation of children and young people, and the new and emerging career areas that capture their imagination during formative childhood years.

“But sadly, the reality for seriously ill children treated at Gosh and elsewhere is that childhood may look very different to what they and their parents had imagined.

“At Gosh charity, we do everything we can to give seriously ill children the best chance and the best childhood possible.

“We fund vital services and research that drives progress because we believe that no childhood should be lost to serious illness, and every child deserve to dream and have limitless ambitions as they grow up.

“That’s why we’re urging the public to join us and donate today, as we work to give seriously ill children the best chance, and the best childhood possible.”