For decades now, administration after administration in Cardiff has attempted to prioritise the importance of the Welsh language in building a sense of self for this nation.

Indeed, for many who live beyond our national borders, hearing Welsh being spoken by Prince Charles during his investiture as the Prince of Wales on 1 July 1969 was likely the first real indication that the native tongue of this nation was significant. Now, 54 years later, and with the formal Coronation of King Charles III about to take place next week, it’s certainly apt to ask just how far have we come in our collective attempts to promote the Welsh language.

Time and time again, those linguistic strategies have focused on the importance of putting a Welsh curriculum front and centre — a blatant enforcement one way or another of ‘get them when they’re young’, as it were.

Sadly, it all seems to be for naught.

In Ceredigion, a council-led survey of 2,000 students asked them to prioritise what was important to the youth of today.

The ‘Rhoi dy Farn 2023’ ballot, organised by Ceredigion’s Youth Work and Engagement Service, gave young people the opportunity to vote on topics that will then shape the Youth Council’s priorities during 2023. The hot topics with the most votes were the ‘cost-of-living crisis’, followed by ‘careers’, and ‘education’ being third.

Last on the list was the need for greater promotion of the Welsh language, which received 95 votes and came in eighth.

Ifan Meredith, chair of Ceredigion Youth Council said: “The Rhoi Dy Farn 2023 campaign has enabled young people across the county to state their views on the issues that are important to them.

“It is interesting to see these results which show the concerns of young people in the area and the Youth Council is ready to respond and to question the people in power about these issues.”

Spin it any way you want — the reality is that Welsh language policies seem to be flawed. Unless young people see Welsh as a means to a better job and a secure future, it’s a waste of time forcing the language down their throats.

Language policy is one thing, but it has to go hand in hand in building a brighter future for our youth.