But politics appears to be a turn-off for the young, with only 6% of students and 2% of teenagers in training, saying it is important.

A poll of school pupils, university students and those in training or apprenticeships aged between 15 and 19 found 95-97% rated their friends as the most important factor in their life.

The survey, by the Royal Bank of Scotland, also found the single biggest concern for all three groups was child cruelty.

The popular vision of young people as self-centred and materialistic has been totally turned on its head

Andrea Aitken-Paige, Royal Bank of Scotland

Cruelty to animals worried 84% of school pupils and 80% of those at university.

The importance of family also scored highly across the groups, with the well-being of parents brothers and sisters declared very important by 71% of those at school, 74% at university and 75% of trainees.

Having children was cited as really important among 56% of those in training but by only 39% of those at university.

A secure job was important for three quarters of trainees, but only just over half (56%) of university students and less than two thirds (63%) of those still at school were concerned.

In all, 43% of the youngsters surveyed said they liked saving and 85% did not like the idea of getting into debt - though 45% admitted that they sometimes spent money without thinking.

New vision

Andrea Aitken-Paige, head of student banking at the Royal Bank of Scotland, said: "The popular vision of young people as self-centred and materialistic has been totally turned on its head by the results of this survey."

"While studying, exams and money predictably featured as areas that the whole group worried about most, much bigger worries lurked outside their immediate world."