Nearly half of young Australians view climate change as very concerning for the nation, ahead of discrimination and cost of living.
Mission Australia’s 2023 Youth Survey found that 44 percent of people aged 15 to 19 are concerned about climate change, and 21 percent were “extremely” concerned about it.
Other top worries are equity and discrimination (31 percent), the economy and financial matters (31 percent), mental health (30 percent), and housing and homelessness (19 percent, up from 12 percent in 2022).
Mission Australia CEO Sharon Callister said the results show that young people are actively involved in the country’s environmental, political, and societal issues of the day.
“Young people have shown they care about issues facing Australia and themselves, are strong and resilient, diverse and very capable,” she said.
Therefore, she called for all levels of government to “seriously act upon” their concerns.
“This includes committing to homelessness prevention measures and investment in youth-specific services,” she said.
“Homelessness is a traumatic experience which can have ongoing impacts on a person’s life, their wellbeing and their future.”
The 22nd Youth Survey, with over 19,500 respondents, was conducted between April and August during severe weather events, The Voice referendum, increasing cost of living, and the housing and homelessness crisis. The results are shared with schools, governments, and other key decision-makers.
Top Personal Worries Revealed
In addition to societal concerns, top personal concerns were school (49 percent), mental health (24 percent), and relationships (21 percent).One-quarter of youth said they had high levels of psychological distress, more said they were unfairly treated in the past year, and one-fifth said they felt lonely most or all the time.
Further, one in 10 said they had no control over their life.
Ms. Callister said mental health is a “deeply” significant personal and national concern, urging government action.
“They [young people] want better access to mental healthcare services, accurate diagnosis and treatment, support from their family and friends, and professional help,” she said.
They also wanted “greater understanding” about their stress levels from teachers and parents.
Meanwhile, she said half of young people are optimistic about their futures, but this positive outlook has declined since 2020, which was “a concerning trend.”
To curb the trend, she said youth must have their needs met for their future and the future of Australia.
She said it’s crucial to address the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, too, because they often rate their well-being lower than their non-Indigenous peers.
“And a greater proportion [of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth] reported they were subject to unfair treatment or discrimination,” she said.
“This disparity and its persistence remind us yet again of the urgent action that’s needed to make our country a place where all young people can thrive.”
Why Are Young People So Worried?
Headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation pointed to some reasons young people are worried.Headspace CEO Jason Trethowan said the news content they see on social media can be overwhelming, with almost half (44 percent) of 3,107 young people surveyed by Headspace saying the content is more negative than positive.
He said they also compare their lives to friends, celebrities or social media influencers online.
“Young people are aware of how social media can impact their mental health now and into the future, with 55 percent of survey participants agreeing the content they post today will impact their job prospects and relationships going forward,” he said.
Further, he said time spent on social media takes away from parts of life that can positively affect well-being.
“Like being active, getting into life, sleeping, and eating well,” he said.
Allied Health Research Professor Carol Maher also weighed in.
She said that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, lifestyle changes in physical activity, screen time, sleep and diet, and the widespread influence of social media are likely affecting the wellbeing of youth worldwide.
Uneven Decline in Youth Well-Being
However, University of South Australia (UniSA) senior researcher Dot Dumuid said the decrease in youth wellbeing is not uniform; it is multi-faceted and more pronounced in certain groups.“For example, girls have shown a more significant drop in wellbeing scores than boys [up to 14 percent difference],” she said, citing a recent UniSA study.
She said this difference suggests girls experience stressors or societal expectations specific to their gender.
She said socioeconomic status and age weighed in, too.
“Older children and those from lower socioeconomic families were likelier to have poor wellbeing than those from more privileged backgrounds [up to 10 percent difference],” she said.
“This trend is especially concerning given that adolescence is a critical mental and emotional development period. A decline in wellbeing during these formative years could have long-lasting effects that extend into adulthood,” she said.
She welcomed initiatives like the federal government’s new national well-being framework for monitoring the country’s overall well-being.
“But a lot more needs to be done to ensure this young group of Australians does not slip through the cracks,” she said.
