The pressure’s on

Anxiety, pessimism and insecurity are common feelings among young people at the moment, with their top three concerns being housing affordability, employment and climate change, according to the 2024 Australian Youth Barometer, which surveyed more than 600 Australians aged 18-24 and interviewed 30 more.

Let’s explore these.

Soaring costs of rental and housing affordability are widely reported and acutely concern young people. Some living circumstances are dire. One 21-year-old teacher in Western Australia told us:

“I’m living in a shed effectively, that also rings testament true to the rental prices. If I couldn’t even afford rent on the salary that I’m on now … I’m working full-time as a high school teacher and I still live in a shed.”

Housing affordability is the tip of a precarious iceberg. Beneath the waterline, we see:

• 98% reporting at least one feeling of anxiety or pessimism.
• 86% experiencing financial difficulties to some extent in the past 12 months, with 26% reporting they did so often or very often.
• Though a slight improvement on previous years, 17% experienced food insecurity at some point in the past 12 months. Lack of money prevented 70% of young Australians from going out to eat with friends or family.
• Only 53% think it’s likely that they’ll achieve financial security in the future.
• 62% think they’ll be financially worse off than their parents.
• Only 40% report they’re often or very often able to save part of their income.

Only half (52%) of young people think it’s likely they’ll have children in the future. Such decision-making is in part shaped by their precarious living conditions.

Turning to employment, more than half (52%) of young people experienced underemployment at some point in the past 12 months. They want more work.

Some note the challenges of finding even basic work, and the divide between what young people are often paid and the financial responsibilities they’re shouldering:

“I also only get paid a minimum wage for a job that I’ve worked really, really hard to get … I get paid $17 an hour simply because I’m not 21 and they don’t legally have to. I’m part-time, I work long hours. … I should be able to get the adult minimum wage when I’m legally an adult, you know. I’ve got adult bills.”

Responding to the climate emergency is the third-top issue. Only a third (34%) believe it’s likely that climate change will be combated in the future. So while it’s a major concern requiring immediate action, a majority of young Australians don’t have much faith in current government responses to the unfolding climate crisis.

But many are doing something about it. More than two-thirds (70%) volunteered in organised activities at least once in the past year. The most common volunteering activities were welfare-related care and services (50%), arts and cultural services (49%), and environmental-related activities (49%). One 23-year=-old Queenslander said:

“I’m going to live and I’m going to die, you know, I’m not going to make much difference. [But] I think volunteering [is] where I’m going to make the most difference in my life by helping someone. … I think if I can do something, do some good I guess, I think my life might have meaning, so yes.”

With the next federal election looming, the Australian government needs to pay attention to what young people are telling us. More than a third (39%) think there’s not enough government support for housing. A quarter (26%) believe there’s not enough government support in finance.

But many feel unseen and unheard. As one 19-year-old woman from Queensland told us:

“I feel like it’s a little bit hard to get represented [in politics] in a way when … [we are not] the ones that are more the homeowners and the taxpayers.”

She has a point.

Beyond government, we can also support organisations like The Smith Family, Mission Australia, and Raise Foundation, all of which undertake important work to develop resilience, belonging, and keep young people engaged in education and in participating to shape their worlds.

The Raise Youth Mentoring Program, for example, supported 2400 young people this year alone. But in light of our findings, more volunteers are needed.

As our Youth Reference Group noted in its introduction to this year’s report, while young people are taking action to respond to these challenges, “the onus is on us all to build on, learn from and support these efforts”.

This includes you and me.

This article was written by Lucas Walsh, Blake Cutler, Zihong Deng and Thuc Bao Huynh of Monash University.  It was published by Lens.  You can download the 2024 Australian Youth Barometer here.