A lack of parent role models is driving British youth into gangs, according to a recent survey conducted by the Prince’s Trust, Britain’s leading youth charity.

This survey of 1,754 young people between the ages of 14 and 25 found that one third of those polled did not have parents whom they considered role models. More than half of the youths polled instead cited friends and peers as role models and almost a quarter said that young people are looking for role models when they join gangs. Nine percent of the participants had actually spent time as a gang member.

These findings confirm what many police, educators, and legal professionals have been saying for a long time. Youths are turning to gangs in an attempt to gain a sense of security, belonging and direction. These are all basic needs that a young person’s family should be providing and that a gang can never truly provide. Family breakdown is the reason behind why youths join gangs—and an increasing number of teens are openly admitting it.

The only way to curb the growing threat that gangs present to society is for more parents to provide the love, education and discipline their children need in order to succeed. For a more detailed explanation on how to raise children that will never have the desire to turn to gangs or organized crime, read “Why Dick and Jane Join Gangs” by Dennis Leap.