Young Australians Urged to Have Their Say

Community service Not for Profit, Mission Australia, is calling on young Australians to express their concerns and hopes for the future, including their work prospects, by taking part in the largest annual nationwide poll on youth issues.

The NFP opened the Mission Australia 2016 Youth Survey on Friday to providing a platform for 15 to 19 year olds to have their say.

“Young Australians are our future and we must do everything we can to provide opportunities for their voices to be heard, to better understand and nurture their ambitions and support them to fulfil their potential,” Mission Australia CEO Catherine Yeomans said.

“Our annual Youth Survey is important as it provides insight into their concerns and allows us to ensure they are considered by key decision makers including politicians, policy makers and community organisations.

“With nearly 19,000 participants last year and a goal to surpass 20,000 respondents this year, our annual survey is the largest of its kind. It enables us to understand life from the perspective of a young Australian in 2016 and engages them in voicing their thoughts to influence their future.”

In 2015, the top three issues identified by young people as most important in Australia were alcohol and drugs (27 per cent), equity and discrimination (25 per cent) and the economy and financial matters (18.9 per cent).

More than half of respondents (52 per cent) felt there would be barriers to the achievement of their study/work goals, with a greater proportion of females (55.5 per cent) than males (47.5 per cent) reporting the presence of these barriers.

Since 2013, alcohol and drugs and international relations have been increasingly identified as key issues facing the nation.

“This year we have included new focus questions to understand young people’s experiences of discrimination as well as questions focused on young people’s sense of community,” Yeomans said.

“The survey will also seek to understand young people’s participation in education, employment and community activities, their family and social support networks and their values and concerns.

“Our previous surveys have highlighted that today’s young people experience major challenges, including high unemployment and the rapidly changing job market, coping with stress, school or study problems, the rising cost of housing and concerns around alcohol, drugs and mental health.”

Mission Australia’s 2016 Youth Survey is open to Australians aged 15 to 19 years old.

The survey closes on 31 July 2016, with results to be analysed and released before the end of the year.