November 9, 2025 • 19 mins
TDA has just released its first annual benchmark on young Australians - The Future According to Us. It's what we care about, how we live, what gives us hope, and where we're taking the country next. So, on today's podcast, we thought we would break down the key findings and paint a picture of where our generation is at.
Hosts: Sam Koslowski and Billi FitzSimons
Producer: Orla Maher
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Already and this is the Daily This is the Daily OS. Oh,
now it makes sense.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Good morning and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Monday,
the tenth of November. I'm Sam Kazlowski.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I'm Billy fitz Simon's.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Today's podcast is a little bit different. The Future according
to Us is tda's first annual benchmark on Young Australians,
what we care about, how we live, what gives us
hope and where we're taking the country next. So on
today's podcast, we thought we would break down the key
findings of our report and paint a picture of where
our generation is at.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Sam, do you want to start by giving us a
little bit more context. So this is a new report
that The Daily OS has published this month. It's called
The Future according to Us. Tell us where this idea
came from, why it's important to TDA, anything you can
tell us about why this is now being launched.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
So I think we like to think of ourselves, and
I think it's true that we know young Australians and
that we listen to young Australians and importantly that we
are young Australians and we do a lot of polling
on our newsletter or on Instagram, and there's a whole
other level of polling and research out there, which is
research that people could rely on if they're writing a
(01:23):
university paper or if they're looking at it as a
company and wanting to make a decision. And that's that
kind of really scientific level of research. And so that's
always been seen as the next step for us in
if we really want to represent young Australians, we need
to not just understand what our audience thinks, but what
a representative sample of young ossies think who might not
(01:43):
be in our audience as well.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
So this is.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
About getting a snapshot of where young ossies are at,
what they are thinking politically, what is most important to them,
the issues that are coming up for them every week,
what is on their minds exactly.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
And the aim is to do it once a year
so that over a ten year period you can see
how things change. And so this is the first one
and we don't have kind of you know, this has
gone up six percent compared to last year, but it's
an amazing starting point. And the way that we did
it was we partnered with a research agency called Resolve Strategic,
(02:18):
So you know, when you're looking at a news report
from a traditional publisher and they say Anthony Alberzi's approval
rating has gone up or down. Yes, they're the guys
that do that. So they do a poll and say
what do you think about a political leader. But they
also do work for news organizations on what do you
think about a certain topic, and so they know exactly
kind of how to do this research in the best way.
(02:41):
So we partnered with them. We told them what we
wanted to do, and they went out and they found
five thousand Australians, not just young Australians because you need
to compare generations, but five thousand Australians that if you
put those five thousand people in a room, that is
a representative snapshot of the nation right now.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
So it's a nationally representative study, which is kind of
a Jagoni word, but it just means that all that
to say that this is a legitimate study that we
have done in partnership.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Yeah, and most legitimate studies have between one or two
thousand people who they have as the sample. We've got
five thousands. So we tried to get the slightly biggest
sample to make sure the findings were like really watertight,
and yeah, you have to start somewhere, and here we are.
By the way, when we talk about young people, what
I'm talking about there is eighteen to thirty four year old.
So that's how we decided to split up what a
(03:30):
young person was and what an older Australian was.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
No offense to any thirty five or thirty.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Six year olds, Absolutely none men mentioned.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
So let's get to the findings. What is one finding
that you found to be the most surprising.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
I think I was overwhelmed with just how confusing young
ossies are to understand, and it's very contradictory the way
that they see the.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
World, so the way that we see the world, the.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Way we see Sorry I should so. Young ossies are
the most optimistic generation about their own futures. They are
genuinely hopeful, but at the same time they're the most
pessimistic generation about the systems around us. So we believe
fundamentally as a generation that we can adapt, we can learn,
we can create opportunities and ways that perhaps our parents'
(04:18):
generation don't quite appreciate. When you think about the country
as a whole, only forty percent of young people think
that the country is headed in the right direction. Less
than half say that our democracy is working well. These
are big ideas. And when we asked young Ossies whether
Australia is the best country in the world, only fifty
(04:38):
nine percent of them agreed. So for older Australians that
number was seventy six percent. So we know we can
do it. We know we're destined for big things. We
don't think the countries though, and we don't think we
have the systems around us to support that.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Do we know what came second in terms of what
young Ozzie thought was the best country in the world.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
No, So that question in the report was just said
yes no. So there were ten statements like I feel
safe in Australia, Australia is the best country in the world,
I think Australia has my best interests at heart, and
they just had to say yeses on.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Though, that's interesting that older Australians think that Australia is
the best country in the world more so than young
z You think that.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Yeah, And those ten statements I told you about consistently
every single one, ten out of ten older Australians agreed
more with those sorts of statements. So older Australians agreed
more that Australians are kind to each other, or that
Australia gives people like me purpose. There was consistently that
view when tied to the country, and the almost the
(05:37):
older you get, the more that you think Australia is fantastic.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Okay, so young people are hopeful about their own futures
but pessimistic about the country. Why do you think that
that disconnect exists.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
I think ultimately it's because we're doing everything expected of us.
We're getting educated, we're trying to work hard and build
income where joining communities, where trying to stand up for
things we believe in. But still those key elements of
home ownership and traditional milestones are completely out of reach.
And we see prosperity all around us. We see major
(06:12):
companies getting richer and richer, but we feel locked out
of those systems. And so there's this weird disconnect between
trusting our own abilities but losing faith in those big institutions.
And ultimately it all comes down to trust.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I think that idea of young Australians losing trust in
institutions is something that comes up so much. Do you
want to explain what do we actually mean when we
talk about that.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
I think it's all about a perception as to whether
an institution has our interests at homet And so we
asked about ten institutions and young people have lower levels
of trust than older Australians in nine out of those ten.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
So what's an example of an institution, So.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
The police for example, or our health system, our court system,
the government, the federal government. The one institution that young
Australians trust more than older Australians is the Internet as
an institution, and I.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Guess that involves influences and content creator.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Well, we actually our social media platforms separately, and older
Australians trust social media platforms more than younger Australians do.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
That checks out the Internet.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
It was interesting to separate them. And obviously designing this
survey took so long to try and figure out those
tiny little nuances. So we're not quite sure what to
do with this website trust point, but it's definitely a
topic for another time.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
And what about the government specifically.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
So fewer than half of younger Australians trust the Federal
Government forty two percent. That's one of the country's most
significant institutions, and young people just don't trust it the
one that we trust the most is health professionals and
the police. So the kind of key theme on the
institutions that we do trust the most would be about
service based occupations and kind of emergency services people who
(07:56):
are really there when we urgently need them.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
So that was good to see.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
And this lack of trust that young Ossie's have in
the government, what does that mean in terms of how
they engage in politics.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Well, what it doesn't mean is that they exhibit apathy.
They really care, So it's not like they're not turning
up to vote because they don't trust the government. In
terms of turnout, younger Australians have some of the most
active voting patterns of any generation in Australian history at
the moment, but they're the least committed voters. So most
(08:27):
young Ozzie said that they would change their vote from
election to election or at least consider doing so. So
they're kind of treating political parties like any other service
provider like Atelco. You know, if you don't like the
plan that you're on one year, you might change another year.
And they're not afraid to have kind of strong movement,
which is different to older ozsi's who buy and large
(08:47):
stick to a party for most of their lives.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
I think that's important point not to confuse a lack
of trust in the government with a general apathy towards
our political system.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Yeah, and where the most active in terms of our activism.
So I think the lack of trust in a federal government,
for example, comes out in the way that we protest
on streets and we kind of take matters into our
own hands. So seventy six percent on climate action, for example,
believe that modest individual actions can help create change more
(09:17):
so than big policies. So it's that sense of kind
of taking matters into our own hands again, and this
is the key theme of the whole report, is that
we're betting on us, We're not betting on the institutions
doing it for us.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I know.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Another thing that we asked the respondents about is cost
of living. Yeah, what did it find about that?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
So it's pretty stark, not surprising to you, I'm sure,
having followed this topic so closely over the last couple
of years, But fifty nine percent of young ASIE said
that cost of living is the single biggest concern they
have at the moment. That's more than every single other
issue we put on the page combined. So the next
highest was housing, which you could arguably say is part
of that bucket as well at thirteen percent. Then Climate
(09:57):
and the environment at nine percent. And when we talk
about home ownership again, we're still quite traditional. We all
want to buy a home, and that's really important because
there's a difference between wanting to buy a home and
knowing we're probably not going to. And I think that
gets confused a bit. It's not that young Assies don't
want to buy a home. We really want to, we
just know that we can't. So one in three young
(10:18):
Australians have totally given up on home ownership. Wow, and
they're calling it unrealistic.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
Again.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
They haven't given up because they don't want it, they've
given up because they can't afford it.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
And I think there's also this idea that we've spoken
about before in relation to young people about choosing to
rent forever so that that money can instead be spent
on things like traveling overseas, coming to festivals and spending
money on experiences.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yeah, and I think that that kind of lends itself
to that point about the individual. Is we don't have
trust that if we play the game and if we
do it right, will be rewarded with home ownership. In
our thirties or forties, we don't believe that anymore, and
so why not fly business class and spend most of
your savings on that. Well, the business vis the business
(11:05):
class flyer around the world has gotten younger.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Maybe points, maybe with some points.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Maybe that's a terrible example.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Yeah, I don't know if that's money.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Or we're definitely spending a lot more on leisure. And
I think that when you don't have a housing deposit
to save for, you can do that because what's the
point of saving. And that's a whole economic framework of
a society that's kind of changing.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
I'm laughing that a conversation about cost of living somehow
turn to a conversation about business cards.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Well that's one of the weird things.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
And we talk to brands a lot about this as well,
is our wages aren't rising that quickly, but at the
amount of money that we spend as a percentage of
that wage is skyrocketing.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
So interesting. So it's a change in priorities for young people.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Yes, in that way in terms of home ownership, but
a lot of other priorities that our parents have had
are very closely held by us, so we really want
to get married. Overall, it's forty eight percent of people
who are currently married do want to get married. Another
thirty percent I think was already married under thirty five,
So that's like kind of eighty ninety percent there, and
(12:09):
just fourteen percent of young people don't want or intend
to start a family. So overall, we still want to
have kids, we still want to get married, but the
timelines for all of that have shifted so dramatically because
the financial foundations that our parents have that's not there.
We're not buying a home and then thinking about a
family and then thinking about getting married. It's all kind
of happening in a bit of a jumbled order.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
I feel like when I think about how older generations
speak about younger generations, they often talk about Gen Z
young people in the workplace, and generally there is this
sentiment that they're not very good workers or they don't
really like working.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
What did the report find about that?
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Well, again, they told us that the perception of an
apathetic generation of under thirty fives is wrong. So seventy
nine percent of eighteen to thirty four year olds are working,
with only six percent unemployed. Have to remember there's a
lot of full time studying in there as well, and
when you zoom into that twenty five to thirty group,
nearly ninety percent are in work and most of those.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
People are full time.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
What also was really interesting about work is that they've
got side hustles. So one third of young Australians have
a side hustle on top of a full time job
and that immediately you think, is that about cost of living?
And the answer is yeah, it's about an extra source
of income, but also it's about skill development and community
(13:29):
impact when we ask them why you have a side hustle.
So there is a multiple revenue stream model that's out
there and very popular, and that mutches.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Other research that has come out.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
I'm pretty sure that ABS found a couple of years
ago that a record number of young people had side hustles.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
Yeah, it's crazy one ariz.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Yeah, I know.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Another area that we looked at is mental health, which
is a big topic when it comes to young people.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
What did the report find about that?
Speaker 2 (13:54):
I probably found this the most concerning part of the report,
So I mean overall mental ill health isn't an exception
for young Australians, it is the norm. So eighty nine
percent have reported ever experiencing a mental health issue.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Wow, so that's nine to ten yes.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
So seventy six percent said they have experienced at some
point currently experienced anxiety, sixty five percent that they have
previously or now experienced depression, and thirty one percent that
they have previously or now experienced and eating disorder. And crucially,
seventy six percent of young people said that they experienced
one or more of these issues within the last twelve months.
(14:30):
So this isn't a historical situation that we're looking at.
It's fair to say this is a live crisis.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
It's something that's happening right now.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
And a big topic when it comes.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
To young people's mental ill health is loneliness.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Yeah, so we are the loneliest generation. Fifty nine percent
of young Aussies said they experienced loneliness currently, with forty
four percent of older Australians saying the same thing. So
I mean it is cross generational loneliness. Forty four percent
amongst thirty five and older is a massive rate as well.
Seventeen percent of young Ozzie said that they feel lonely often,
(15:05):
so one in five Ozzie said that they're often. I
mean once a week was the guidance we gave there.
And what I think is really the heart of this
paradox is that we're also the most connected generation in history,
the loneliest and the most connected.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
It's always such an interesting oxymoron if that's a yeah,
if that's the right word or phrase, the fact that
we are somehow the most connected but also the most lonely.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
And when we asked young people, the question was something like,
do you find connection outside of family, friends, work, social media,
or sport, So things like university groups, religious organizations, hobby clubs,
And it was only fifteen percent, So.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
That's really interesting you including sport in that. I was
I was thinking, I don't know if I find connection
outside of those because social media, work, family friends, those
are kind of of my pillars for connection.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Well, what we were really looking for there was some
data around university groups, right and young people, but also
religious organizations and religious organizations has previously reported to be
a key pillar of connection in society for young people,
and so we were really interested to see the data
there and we asked one by one, so do you
(16:22):
find connection via university groups and then religious organizations separately?
And so I think that's really interesting though, is that
part of the largely traditional but also physical part of
how we connect. I think sport is still as popular
as ever that has really died off.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Sport has really died off.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
No, so those other groups are as kind of the
kind of separate bucket that were once really popular.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
I'm really big on community sport at the moment.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
We are definitely all going through a run club run
swim Era.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
Me and podcast producer Al who is editing this podcast,
we are big on community sport together.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
Well, you're doing a lot for your connection.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
One thing that I quickly want to shout out that
I found super interesting from our research was that thirty
nine percent of young people have had a dedicated social
media detox. Yeah, And what that tells me is that
young people are identifying that social media isn't always great
for their mental health and they're actually actively needing to
do something about that.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Because it has clearly crossed a threshold for them.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
And that's double the rate of older Australians. So we
are actively pursuing blocks of time where we uplocking, deleting,
you know, locking our phones in cages, trying to figure
out ways to disconnect.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Yeah, okay, Sam, you've told us a lot of stats.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
They've all been very interesting.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
What is your big takeaway from all of this research
that we've done about young people?
Speaker 2 (17:51):
So, if you put all of this in a blender
and give us a cocktail and pump out a cocktail,
it's that young Australians are betting on themselves because they
don't trust the systems around them. They're working as hard,
if not harder, than their parents did at the same age,
but they're feeling less secure. They see the world getting
richer and they're not sure how to do it themselves.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Interesting, profound, Thank you, A lot to think about.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
I think there's a lot of hope in this report.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
I think that there's a lot of things that governments, businesses, organizations, employers, families,
partners can work on from this report.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
But I see a generation that's ready to go.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Ready to go. I love it. Yeah, inspiring words for
your Monday morning. Thank you so much for taking us
through that.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
Thanks Billy.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
That's all for today's deep Dive.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
We'll be back this afternoon with your evening headlines, but
until then, stay connected and have a good day.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda
Bungelung Calcuttin woman from Gadigol Country.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
The Daily oz acknowledges that this podcast is recorded on
the lands of the Gadighl people and pays respect to
all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island and nations.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
We pay our respects to the first peoples of these countries,
both past and present.
Already and this is the Daily This is the Daily OS. Oh,
now it makes sense.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Good morning and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Monday,
the tenth of November. I'm Sam Kazlowski.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I'm Billy fitz Simon's.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Today's podcast is a little bit different. The Future according
to Us is tda's first annual benchmark on Young Australians,
what we care about, how we live, what gives us
hope and where we're taking the country next. So on
today's podcast, we thought we would break down the key
findings of our report and paint a picture of where
our generation is at.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Sam, do you want to start by giving us a
little bit more context. So this is a new report
that The Daily OS has published this month. It's called
The Future according to Us. Tell us where this idea
came from, why it's important to TDA, anything you can
tell us about why this is now being launched.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
So I think we like to think of ourselves, and
I think it's true that we know young Australians and
that we listen to young Australians and importantly that we
are young Australians and we do a lot of polling
on our newsletter or on Instagram, and there's a whole
other level of polling and research out there, which is
research that people could rely on if they're writing a
(01:23):
university paper or if they're looking at it as a
company and wanting to make a decision. And that's that
kind of really scientific level of research. And so that's
always been seen as the next step for us in
if we really want to represent young Australians, we need
to not just understand what our audience thinks, but what
a representative sample of young ossies think who might not
(01:43):
be in our audience as well.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
So this is.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
About getting a snapshot of where young ossies are at,
what they are thinking politically, what is most important to them,
the issues that are coming up for them every week,
what is on their minds exactly.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
And the aim is to do it once a year
so that over a ten year period you can see
how things change. And so this is the first one
and we don't have kind of you know, this has
gone up six percent compared to last year, but it's
an amazing starting point. And the way that we did
it was we partnered with a research agency called Resolve Strategic,
(02:18):
So you know, when you're looking at a news report
from a traditional publisher and they say Anthony Alberzi's approval
rating has gone up or down. Yes, they're the guys
that do that. So they do a poll and say
what do you think about a political leader. But they
also do work for news organizations on what do you
think about a certain topic, and so they know exactly
kind of how to do this research in the best way.
(02:41):
So we partnered with them. We told them what we
wanted to do, and they went out and they found
five thousand Australians, not just young Australians because you need
to compare generations, but five thousand Australians that if you
put those five thousand people in a room, that is
a representative snapshot of the nation right now.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
So it's a nationally representative study, which is kind of
a Jagoni word, but it just means that all that
to say that this is a legitimate study that we
have done in partnership.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Yeah, and most legitimate studies have between one or two
thousand people who they have as the sample. We've got
five thousands. So we tried to get the slightly biggest
sample to make sure the findings were like really watertight,
and yeah, you have to start somewhere, and here we are.
By the way, when we talk about young people, what
I'm talking about there is eighteen to thirty four year old.
So that's how we decided to split up what a
(03:30):
young person was and what an older Australian was.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
No offense to any thirty five or thirty.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Six year olds, Absolutely none men mentioned.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
So let's get to the findings. What is one finding
that you found to be the most surprising.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
I think I was overwhelmed with just how confusing young
ossies are to understand, and it's very contradictory the way
that they see the.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
World, so the way that we see the world, the.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Way we see Sorry I should so. Young ossies are
the most optimistic generation about their own futures. They are
genuinely hopeful, but at the same time they're the most
pessimistic generation about the systems around us. So we believe
fundamentally as a generation that we can adapt, we can learn,
we can create opportunities and ways that perhaps our parents'
(04:18):
generation don't quite appreciate. When you think about the country
as a whole, only forty percent of young people think
that the country is headed in the right direction. Less
than half say that our democracy is working well. These
are big ideas. And when we asked young Ossies whether
Australia is the best country in the world, only fifty
(04:38):
nine percent of them agreed. So for older Australians that
number was seventy six percent. So we know we can
do it. We know we're destined for big things. We
don't think the countries though, and we don't think we
have the systems around us to support that.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Do we know what came second in terms of what
young Ozzie thought was the best country in the world.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
No, So that question in the report was just said
yes no. So there were ten statements like I feel
safe in Australia, Australia is the best country in the world,
I think Australia has my best interests at heart, and
they just had to say yeses on.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Though, that's interesting that older Australians think that Australia is
the best country in the world more so than young
z You think that.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Yeah, And those ten statements I told you about consistently
every single one, ten out of ten older Australians agreed
more with those sorts of statements. So older Australians agreed
more that Australians are kind to each other, or that
Australia gives people like me purpose. There was consistently that
view when tied to the country, and the almost the
(05:37):
older you get, the more that you think Australia is fantastic.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Okay, so young people are hopeful about their own futures
but pessimistic about the country. Why do you think that
that disconnect exists.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
I think ultimately it's because we're doing everything expected of us.
We're getting educated, we're trying to work hard and build
income where joining communities, where trying to stand up for
things we believe in. But still those key elements of
home ownership and traditional milestones are completely out of reach.
And we see prosperity all around us. We see major
(06:12):
companies getting richer and richer, but we feel locked out
of those systems. And so there's this weird disconnect between
trusting our own abilities but losing faith in those big institutions.
And ultimately it all comes down to trust.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I think that idea of young Australians losing trust in
institutions is something that comes up so much. Do you
want to explain what do we actually mean when we
talk about that.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
I think it's all about a perception as to whether
an institution has our interests at homet And so we
asked about ten institutions and young people have lower levels
of trust than older Australians in nine out of those ten.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
So what's an example of an institution, So.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
The police for example, or our health system, our court system,
the government, the federal government. The one institution that young
Australians trust more than older Australians is the Internet as
an institution, and I.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Guess that involves influences and content creator.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Well, we actually our social media platforms separately, and older
Australians trust social media platforms more than younger Australians do.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
That checks out the Internet.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
It was interesting to separate them. And obviously designing this
survey took so long to try and figure out those
tiny little nuances. So we're not quite sure what to
do with this website trust point, but it's definitely a
topic for another time.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
And what about the government specifically.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
So fewer than half of younger Australians trust the Federal
Government forty two percent. That's one of the country's most
significant institutions, and young people just don't trust it the
one that we trust the most is health professionals and
the police. So the kind of key theme on the
institutions that we do trust the most would be about
service based occupations and kind of emergency services people who
(07:56):
are really there when we urgently need them.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
So that was good to see.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
And this lack of trust that young Ossie's have in
the government, what does that mean in terms of how
they engage in politics.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Well, what it doesn't mean is that they exhibit apathy.
They really care, So it's not like they're not turning
up to vote because they don't trust the government. In
terms of turnout, younger Australians have some of the most
active voting patterns of any generation in Australian history at
the moment, but they're the least committed voters. So most
(08:27):
young Ozzie said that they would change their vote from
election to election or at least consider doing so. So
they're kind of treating political parties like any other service
provider like Atelco. You know, if you don't like the
plan that you're on one year, you might change another year.
And they're not afraid to have kind of strong movement,
which is different to older ozsi's who buy and large
(08:47):
stick to a party for most of their lives.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
I think that's important point not to confuse a lack
of trust in the government with a general apathy towards
our political system.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Yeah, and where the most active in terms of our activism.
So I think the lack of trust in a federal government,
for example, comes out in the way that we protest
on streets and we kind of take matters into our
own hands. So seventy six percent on climate action, for example,
believe that modest individual actions can help create change more
(09:17):
so than big policies. So it's that sense of kind
of taking matters into our own hands again, and this
is the key theme of the whole report, is that
we're betting on us, We're not betting on the institutions
doing it for us.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I know.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Another thing that we asked the respondents about is cost
of living. Yeah, what did it find about that?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
So it's pretty stark, not surprising to you, I'm sure,
having followed this topic so closely over the last couple
of years, But fifty nine percent of young ASIE said
that cost of living is the single biggest concern they
have at the moment. That's more than every single other
issue we put on the page combined. So the next
highest was housing, which you could arguably say is part
of that bucket as well at thirteen percent. Then Climate
(09:57):
and the environment at nine percent. And when we talk
about home ownership again, we're still quite traditional. We all
want to buy a home, and that's really important because
there's a difference between wanting to buy a home and
knowing we're probably not going to. And I think that
gets confused a bit. It's not that young Assies don't
want to buy a home. We really want to, we
just know that we can't. So one in three young
(10:18):
Australians have totally given up on home ownership. Wow, and
they're calling it unrealistic.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
Again.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
They haven't given up because they don't want it, they've
given up because they can't afford it.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
And I think there's also this idea that we've spoken
about before in relation to young people about choosing to
rent forever so that that money can instead be spent
on things like traveling overseas, coming to festivals and spending
money on experiences.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yeah, and I think that that kind of lends itself
to that point about the individual. Is we don't have
trust that if we play the game and if we
do it right, will be rewarded with home ownership. In
our thirties or forties, we don't believe that anymore, and
so why not fly business class and spend most of
your savings on that. Well, the business vis the business
(11:05):
class flyer around the world has gotten younger.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Maybe points, maybe with some points.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Maybe that's a terrible example.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Yeah, I don't know if that's money.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Or we're definitely spending a lot more on leisure. And
I think that when you don't have a housing deposit
to save for, you can do that because what's the
point of saving. And that's a whole economic framework of
a society that's kind of changing.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
I'm laughing that a conversation about cost of living somehow
turn to a conversation about business cards.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Well that's one of the weird things.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
And we talk to brands a lot about this as well,
is our wages aren't rising that quickly, but at the
amount of money that we spend as a percentage of
that wage is skyrocketing.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
So interesting. So it's a change in priorities for young people.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Yes, in that way in terms of home ownership, but
a lot of other priorities that our parents have had
are very closely held by us, so we really want
to get married. Overall, it's forty eight percent of people
who are currently married do want to get married. Another
thirty percent I think was already married under thirty five,
So that's like kind of eighty ninety percent there, and
(12:09):
just fourteen percent of young people don't want or intend
to start a family. So overall, we still want to
have kids, we still want to get married, but the
timelines for all of that have shifted so dramatically because
the financial foundations that our parents have that's not there.
We're not buying a home and then thinking about a
family and then thinking about getting married. It's all kind
of happening in a bit of a jumbled order.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
I feel like when I think about how older generations
speak about younger generations, they often talk about Gen Z
young people in the workplace, and generally there is this
sentiment that they're not very good workers or they don't
really like working.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
What did the report find about that?
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Well, again, they told us that the perception of an
apathetic generation of under thirty fives is wrong. So seventy
nine percent of eighteen to thirty four year olds are working,
with only six percent unemployed. Have to remember there's a
lot of full time studying in there as well, and
when you zoom into that twenty five to thirty group,
nearly ninety percent are in work and most of those.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
People are full time.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
What also was really interesting about work is that they've
got side hustles. So one third of young Australians have
a side hustle on top of a full time job
and that immediately you think, is that about cost of living?
And the answer is yeah, it's about an extra source
of income, but also it's about skill development and community
(13:29):
impact when we ask them why you have a side hustle.
So there is a multiple revenue stream model that's out
there and very popular, and that mutches.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Other research that has come out.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
I'm pretty sure that ABS found a couple of years
ago that a record number of young people had side hustles.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
Yeah, it's crazy one ariz.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Yeah, I know.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Another area that we looked at is mental health, which
is a big topic when it comes to young people.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
What did the report find about that?
Speaker 2 (13:54):
I probably found this the most concerning part of the report,
So I mean overall mental ill health isn't an exception
for young Australians, it is the norm. So eighty nine
percent have reported ever experiencing a mental health issue.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Wow, so that's nine to ten yes.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
So seventy six percent said they have experienced at some
point currently experienced anxiety, sixty five percent that they have
previously or now experienced depression, and thirty one percent that
they have previously or now experienced and eating disorder. And crucially,
seventy six percent of young people said that they experienced
one or more of these issues within the last twelve months.
(14:30):
So this isn't a historical situation that we're looking at.
It's fair to say this is a live crisis.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
It's something that's happening right now.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
And a big topic when it comes.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
To young people's mental ill health is loneliness.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Yeah, so we are the loneliest generation. Fifty nine percent
of young Aussies said they experienced loneliness currently, with forty
four percent of older Australians saying the same thing. So
I mean it is cross generational loneliness. Forty four percent
amongst thirty five and older is a massive rate as well.
Seventeen percent of young Ozzie said that they feel lonely often,
(15:05):
so one in five Ozzie said that they're often. I
mean once a week was the guidance we gave there.
And what I think is really the heart of this
paradox is that we're also the most connected generation in history,
the loneliest and the most connected.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
It's always such an interesting oxymoron if that's a yeah,
if that's the right word or phrase, the fact that
we are somehow the most connected but also the most lonely.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
And when we asked young people, the question was something like,
do you find connection outside of family, friends, work, social media,
or sport, So things like university groups, religious organizations, hobby clubs,
And it was only fifteen percent, So.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
That's really interesting you including sport in that. I was
I was thinking, I don't know if I find connection
outside of those because social media, work, family friends, those
are kind of of my pillars for connection.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Well, what we were really looking for there was some
data around university groups, right and young people, but also
religious organizations and religious organizations has previously reported to be
a key pillar of connection in society for young people,
and so we were really interested to see the data
there and we asked one by one, so do you
(16:22):
find connection via university groups and then religious organizations separately?
And so I think that's really interesting though, is that
part of the largely traditional but also physical part of
how we connect. I think sport is still as popular
as ever that has really died off.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Sport has really died off.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
No, so those other groups are as kind of the
kind of separate bucket that were once really popular.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
I'm really big on community sport at the moment.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
We are definitely all going through a run club run
swim Era.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
Me and podcast producer Al who is editing this podcast,
we are big on community sport together.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
Well, you're doing a lot for your connection.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
One thing that I quickly want to shout out that
I found super interesting from our research was that thirty
nine percent of young people have had a dedicated social
media detox. Yeah, And what that tells me is that
young people are identifying that social media isn't always great
for their mental health and they're actually actively needing to
do something about that.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Because it has clearly crossed a threshold for them.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
And that's double the rate of older Australians. So we
are actively pursuing blocks of time where we uplocking, deleting,
you know, locking our phones in cages, trying to figure
out ways to disconnect.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Yeah, okay, Sam, you've told us a lot of stats.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
They've all been very interesting.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
What is your big takeaway from all of this research
that we've done about young people?
Speaker 2 (17:51):
So, if you put all of this in a blender
and give us a cocktail and pump out a cocktail,
it's that young Australians are betting on themselves because they
don't trust the systems around them. They're working as hard,
if not harder, than their parents did at the same age,
but they're feeling less secure. They see the world getting
richer and they're not sure how to do it themselves.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Interesting, profound, Thank you, A lot to think about.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
I think there's a lot of hope in this report.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
I think that there's a lot of things that governments, businesses, organizations, employers, families,
partners can work on from this report.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
But I see a generation that's ready to go.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Ready to go. I love it. Yeah, inspiring words for
your Monday morning. Thank you so much for taking us
through that.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
Thanks Billy.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
That's all for today's deep Dive.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
We'll be back this afternoon with your evening headlines, but
until then, stay connected and have a good day.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda
Bungelung Calcuttin woman from Gadigol Country.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
The Daily oz acknowledges that this podcast is recorded on
the lands of the Gadighl people and pays respect to
all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island and nations.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
We pay our respects to the first peoples of these countries,
both past and present.
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