A nationwide survey found that 65 percent of children are worried about interpersonal relationships, while more than 10 percent say they are unpopular in the classroom, the Child Welfare League Foundation said yesterday.

Its survey, which asked 11 and 12-year-olds questions about interpersonal relationships, found that respondents on average had 10 good friends and two peers they dislike in class, the foundation said.

A total of 69.7 percent of respondents said they have friends whom they often play with between classes, while 64.1 percent said their friends would comfort them when they are sad, the foundation said.

However, 14.5 percent of respondents said more classmates disliked than liked them, while 18.6 percent said that they have a difficult time finding classmates willing team up with them for group assignments and 10.9 percent said they were often bullied and mocked at school.

While 64.9 percent of the respondents said they worried about issues related to interpersonal relationships, when asked what bothers them the most, 42.4 percent said they were worried about how to reconcile with a friend after an argument, the foundation said.

Another common worry was not knowing how to express their opinions in social situations (41.1 percent), it said.

While 24.3 percent of respondents said they would share concerns with a teacher, 16.4 percent said they would not tell anyone, the survey found.

Asked about qualities they look for in a friend, 89.4 percent of respondents said reciprocity, 69 percent said good emotional management and 65.5 percent said shared hobbies, the foundation said.

Respondents said they enjoyed group projects and activities more if they were regular occurrences, it said.

However, if a teacher makes children who cannot find a group to work together, or punishes an entire group for one child’s behavior, the unpopular children would become further isolated and grow to dislike teamwork, the foundation said.

When children have better relationships with classmates, they tend to be happier and more willing to go to school, foundation executive director Pai Li-fang said.

To help children develop better interpersonal skills, teachers should arrange collaborative activities to teach students about teamwork, while parents can encourage children to be more caring and helpful, she said.

The survey, conducted between Dec. 13 last year and Jan. 8, collected 1,588 valid responses.