The research, conducted by the charity Nesta, comes as the Children’s Commissioner has warned the government not to be “squeamish” about helping families as it is the “greatest investment you can make”.

Revealing the extent of the cost of living crisis facing households, the poll found that Yorkshire was the region with the third lowest levels of optimism about the future of their children.

While 51 per cent of families UK-wide thought that their children will end up being financially better off than them, only 39 per cent of those in Yorkshire felt the same.

File photo dated 17/01/20 of parents walking their children to school in Hornchurch, Essex. The Government is being urged to put family at the centre of policy-making, as the Children's Commissioner for England published a key report on the make-up of UK families. Issue date: Thursday September 1, 2022. PA Photo. Dame Rachel de Souza has urged the incoming Conservative leader's administration to "prioritise" putting families "at the heart" of policy-making, as she warned in a new Government-commissioned report that gaps in official data fail to capture families as they see themselves. See PA story POLITICS Families. Photo credit should read: Nicholas.T. Ansell/PA Wire

The survey of 5,000 parents found that almost three quarters of them said that they are concerned about paying for gas and electricity over the next year.

Last week, Ofgem, the energy regulator announced that the energy price cap will rise by 80 per cent to £3,549 per year for the average household on 1 October.

“Parents in Yorkshire are right to be concerned about their children's future amid the cost of living crisis,” said Jenny Gibson, Director of Nesta’s Fairer Start team.

“We have found that families in Yorkshire are especially worried about paying for energy, food and petrol over the next year.

“Early experiences matter and financial insecurity can impact children later in life. It's important children are able to spend quality time with family, play with other children and attend high-quality early education settings so they can thrive.

“This in turn sets them on the best track to enjoy good mental health and to achieve their potential in the future.”

This follows a Government-commissioned review into family life which showed stark differences between the UK and the rest of the Europe.

It found that 23 per cent of families are headed by a single parent, nearly double the EU average of 13 per cent. Around 90 per cent of lone parents are women.

The report, the first part of the Independent Family Review, also highlighted that spending time with your family is associated with higher well-being, and that those who get on with either parent at the age of 13 are likely to earn more when they hit 25.

Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner said she had cancelled time off work for her team when they heard about the Conservative leadership campaign, feeling they “needed to be giving the new prime minister a real lowdown” on family life in Britain today.

She told attendees at a Policy Exchange event yesterday that she wants to see responsibility for families “sitting at the highest level” of Government.

She said she wants every Cabinet minister and policy to be thinking about families, adding: “I want the new prime minister to be prime minister of families, because that’s the most important thing… it’s everything. That’s what parents, that’s what adults told me, and children.”

Most Yorkshire parents think their children will be poorer than them