Survey: About 40 percent of kids have thought about running away from home

By Staff Writer

A recent survey reveals that nearly two in five students have considered running away from home.

A report by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) surveyed more than 1,200 kids in Los Angeles and Chicago, and less than 25 percent said that their school provides information on services available to youth who have - or are thinking about - running away. Approximately 48 percent of girls said they have considered running away, compared to 39 percent of the boys surveyed.

The executive director of the National Runaway Switchboard, a hotline service for children who are contemplating running away, believes more can be done to ensure that kids know that support is available.

The NORC's report, which was included in Youth's Knowledge for Runaways: Findings from a Survey of High School Students, also found that only 13 percent of teenagers who have seriously considered running away would call a hotline.

A child's desire to run away can stem from a variety of problems, including sexual orientation, bullying in school and abuse at home.

According to data on CrisisCounseling.com, as many as 1.5 million children run away from home every year.