A lack of parent and adult role models is driving young people to turn to gangs and other peers for support, according to a report published by The Prince's Trust.

The Culture of Youth Communities reveals that a third (34%) of young people do not have a parent who they consider to be a role model.

Fifty-eight per cent of young people claim that finding a sense of identity is a key reason for joining a gang, and almost a quarter (22%) say young people are looking for role models in gangs. More than half (55%) already cite friends and peers as role models.

Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Prince's Trust comments: "All the threads that hold a community together - a common identity, role models, a sense of safety - were given by young people as motivations to join gangs.

"Our research suggests that young people are creating their own ‘youth communities' and gangs in search of the influences that could once have been found in traditional communities."

The survey of 1,754 14 to 25-year-olds also highlights how young people are twice as likely to turn to a peer (60%) with a problem as they are to turn to a parent (31%).

The issue most likely to hold young people back is low self-confidence (32%) according to the research. This was followed by more tangible things such as lack of job opportunities (28%) and lack of training (14%).