The future belongs to youth, and a new survey by Mission Australia tells us what the most important issues are for young people in the ACT: the environment, equity and discrimination, and the economy and financial matters.
More than 860 young people in the ACT aged 15 to 19 completed the Mission Australia 2023 Youth Survey, which is Australia’s largest youth survey. It was the 22nd annual Youth Survey, and was conducted between April and August.
The environment was the most pressing issue for young people in the ACT, with 47 per cent considering it one of the most important, and 25 per cent saying they were extremely or very concerned about climate change specifically.
Other issues that concerned young people in the ACT were equity and discrimination, with 34 per cent ranking it as one of the most important, and the economy and financial matters, also with 34 per cent, up from 26 per cent last year; 16 per cent of young people were extremely or very concerned about financial security specifically.
Nada Nasser, Mission Australia State Director ACT, said: “The survey responses show that young people are thinking about the future of the planet and the impact climate change is having. They’re seeing temperature records being broken and are living through extreme weather events. It’s clear they want Australia to do more on this issue.”
Mission Australia also stated that young people in the ACT are feeling the impact of cost-of-living pressures, and that “financial pressures can impact young people’s performance in school and be a source of significant stress”.
Young people are also focused on equity and discrimination, as nationally Indigenous youth continue to rate their wellbeing lower than their non-Indigenous peers, and a greater proportion of Indigenous youth reported they were subject to unfair treatment and discrimination.
Ms Nasser said that Mission Australia was committed to work with Indigenous communities to close the gap and promote reconciliation and self-determination.
Mission Australia shares the results of the survey with schools, governments, and policy makers, so that the issues of young people are listened to and addressed.
By Tahir Rangwalla, Work Experience Student.
