Taking the temperature of Australian youth amid the pandemic

As Australia emerges from lockdown, research by the Monash Centre for Youth Policy and Education Practice has taken a snapshot of young Australians during the pandemic.

We conducted a survey of more than 500 young Australians aged 18 to 24, and interviewed 30 more about their education, employment, health and wellbeing, finances, housing, justice, safety and risk, citizenship, belonging and inclusion.

The purpose of this 2021 Australian Youth Barometer, launched this week, is to gauge the pressures young Australians have been under. Here are some of the findings.

Health and wellbeing

Just under a third (29%) reported having poor or very poor mental health. This was much higher for non-binary young people. Food security was also an issue during the pandemic, with 21% reporting they had run out of food and were unable to purchase more.

Education and work

Participants spoke positively of their school experiences. For example, an 18-year-old from the ACT said: “The teachers at this school really cared about the students. They spoke to you like you were a person instead of just a number … They let you be you.”

Feelings of school belonging were strong, with teachers playing a key role. Nevertheless, almost one in three interviewees discussed experiences of bullying, discrimination or harassment at school in relation to an aspect of their identity (for example, ethnicity).

Several women and non-binary young people we interviewed noted how gender inequality and the actions of politicians contributed to feelings of being unsafe, excluded and ignored.

“I was doing OK for myself just before COVID. I was bringing in [enough money, but] since COVID, I don't even have enough to pay bills.”

Satisfaction with online learning remained high during the pandemic, but with some ambivalence about how well their education is preparing them for the future.

As one 24-year-old from New South Wales told us: “The conventional education system is not geared towards effective education. We’re trending towards a rote learning system … where they just throw the textbook at you, you memorise the textbook, and they ask you to repeat the textbook, instead of giving you the opportunity to actually think critically, form your own impressions, and apply the knowledge that you've gained.”

Most respondents, even those employed in sectors with a typically high degree of insecurity, (such as retail and hospitality), were satisfied with their jobs and saw them as useful to society (75.3% strongly agreed or agreed).

Housing and finance

Not unexpectedly, most want to buy a house, but young people are concerned about housing affordability. One 21-year-old from Queensland said: “I've had friends that have had to move in with me because it's a hot market for selling at the moment. So the rentals just get sold underneath them, and now so many people are becoming homeless, which is a bit scary.”

Most young people (69%) believe it’s the government’s responsibility to ensure access to affordable housing for everyone. A need for greater government action is a theme running through the findings. For example, 91% want the government to provide more social services. This is highly desired among those with a disability.

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Read more: Young people, the pandemic, and the shifting post-school transitions to employment

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Managing finances appears to be changing, with 53% of young people using buy-now-pay-later services, despite almost half thinking such services have a negative impact on their financial behaviour.

Others experienced severe financial insecurity, with one 22-year-old telling us: “I was doing OK for myself just before COVID. I was bringing in [enough money, but] since COVID, I don't even have enough to pay bills.”

Another felt like “as a young person specifically, we get the raw deal out of almost everything at the moment, and there’s not a lot for us to cling on to that’s looking good. That can get really, really overwhelming.”

A complex picture

The findings paint a complex picture of young Australians today. They provide windows into wider worlds we all inhabit.

The challenge now is how best to respond to their concerns and build on their strengths. How can we work with young people after the pandemic to build thriving communities?

The Monash Centre for Youth Policy and Education Practice (CYPEP) is undertaking research into the social, political and economic factors that affect young people’s lives. It aim to change the conversation about young people’s futures and work with them, alongside educators and policymakers, to address disadvantage.