TRANSCRIPT
In an era of global and economic uncertainty, rapid technological change, and dire environmental warnings, Mission Australia is asking – what are young people most worried about?
The answer is, perhaps, not surprising.
"A lot of young people are unfortunately coming into their teens and going, well, what am I going to do with my life? How am I going to be able to afford a house? Where am I going to live? Because everything is just so uncertain with how the economy is going."
That’s Jayden Smith-Snowden, a young artist based in Brisbane, who is studying for a Certificate in Youth Work.
Her view reflects that of most young Australians, according to this year’s Mission Australia Youth Survey, of more than 17,000 14- to 19-year-olds.
The results showed that 64 per cent of respondents list cost of living as one of their most pressing concerns.
Mission Australia Chief Executive Sharon Callister says that’s a big jump from a few years before.
"That is the first time that it is received more than two thirds of young people's assessment, that is the most important issue facing Australia at the moment... If we look back to 2022, over 20 per cent of young people were saying cost of living was a key issue."
For Smith-Snowden, who moved from out of home care to NDIS-supported rental accommodation, housing remains a constant worry.
"I'm lucky that I have, I want to say relatively solid housing because even sometimes I sit there and I'm like, am I going to be homeless tomorrow? Am I going to be able to go home to a roof over my head to a bed to sleep in to food in my fridge?"
18-year-old Hannah Singh lives with her parents and studies biomedical engineering and medical science.
But she also worries about the future.
"I just know that it's compared to at least my parents' generation and the ones before that, it just feels like so many people just want to be able to save up for a first home and it impossible. So, something needs to be done about that. I think. And I would also say, supermarkets, because I feel that in other nations they have more regulations on supermarket to prevent price gouging and excessive inflation of prices."
Mission Australia’s online survey was distributed through schools, community groups, support organisations and on their website.
After cost of living, it found mental health was the second biggest concern, with 29 per cent of respondents listing it as one of their top three concerns, followed by climate change on 27 per cent and housing and homelessness at 25 per cent.
The young people who spoke to S-B-S say there is a strong link between mental health and the other major concerns.
Among them is Shiao Lu Ooi, who moved to Australia from Malaysia to study and runs a not-for-profit supporting international students.
"I find that because of people basically having to mitigate the difficulties that come with cost of living and also the rise of housing prices, they have to put themselves in positions where they have to overlook themselves and also just not prioritise their wellbeing overall. And that contributes to declining mental health, which is what I've been seeing a lot around with my peers as well."
When it comes to climate change, Sharon Callister says, the issue has fallen from the top spot of teenagers' concerns in the last few years, as more immediate cost of living pressures increase.
Hannah Singh says that’s very disappointing.
She also believes social media plays a role in shaping her peers’ viewpoints.
"I was engaged in climate marches and I've always been very passionate about the environment, but I feel like there's so much going on right now that for people who are maybe easily influenced or anyone who spends a lot of time on social media, maybe that's just not really what they're receiving."
And while, she is not convinced that the government’s looming social media ban for under 16-year-olds will be effective, she says that spending less time on social apps is a good thing.
" I'm just worried that we're being too influenced to disregard each other and dislike each other based off abstract political things rather than realising bigger issues at hand. I feel like we're internally squabbling rather than thinking about why (the) top 1 per cent owns all this money and why they're deciding everything."
For Smith-Snowden , who grew up in regional Queensland, many of these concerns are heightened for young people outside metro areas.
"For people that haven't grown up rural and grown up working the land, they don't realise how much that this climate change is actually starting to take a toll on our agricultural industry, on our livestock industry, on our fisheries as well. They sit there and they wonder why everything's getting so pricey at the stores and getting so expensive. But that's because the climate change is making it harder and harder on our farmers and on our ranches to be able to raise our cattle, raise our sheep, and grow our foods."
A youth advisor to CREATE - an advocacy and support service for people in out-of-home care - she also says the lack of medical, mental health and community services, takes a heavy toll on young people in the regions.
But Mission Australia Chief Executive Sharon Callister says there are some positive takeaways from the survey, with less people reporting loneliness as an issue, and more people reporting optimism about the future.
"And for the first time ever we asked a new question, which was what are your biggest hopes for the future? And nearly 60 per cent of young people were hoping for employment and developing a career and setting career goals, closely followed by wanting to build family relationships and connections. And also, many young people, biggest hopes were around money, financial, sustainability, and one day hoping to own a home."
And that's a positivity Smith-Snowden can share.
"I'm starting to see it a lot more lately is that a lot more young people are starting to step up and starting to talk about these issues and talk about everything. And a lot more are starting to get empowered because they're seeing their friends doing it and they're like, I can do it as well."
