Almost half of Scots believe children are dangerous and behave like animals, a survey out today reveals.

Almost half of Scots believe children are dangerous and behave like animals, a survey out today reveals.

Children's charity Barnardo's Scotland said the results showed a "disturbing" intolerance of youngsters.

The poll of 2021 adults across the UK found that 42% of Scots believed children were beginning to behave like animals, while 41% said children were increasingly dangerous both to each other and to adults.

Barnardo's said the attitudes contradict a Victim Support Scotland survey study which has said that less than 1.5% of youngsters commit crime.

The new poll also shows that young people were more likely to be victims of personal crime compared to their elders.

Martin Crewe, director of Barnardo's Scotland, said: "The fact that just under half of Scots refer to children as feral' means we still need to change public perception and recognise that most young people aren't unruly and criminal.

"Most make a positive contribution to society.

"This attitude does nothing to help those youngsters who are difficult, unruly or badly be-haved, change their ways."

Alongside its survey, Barnardo's launched a report which said children who engaged in illegal and antisocial behaviour were those in most need of support.

The report said children who become involved in crime come from the most deprived families, have the poorest educational experiences and are more likely to suffer from poor health.

Barnardo's aims to tackle negative perceptions of children with its first major TV advertisement to air on next Monday, November 24.