Youth Survey Report: Teenagers aged 15 to 19 rank cost of living most important national issue for first time

The soaring cost of living is the number one issue pressing on WA teenagers’ minds, with more than half citing it as their top concern in Australia’s biggest youth survey. For the first time, cost of living featured as the leading issue in the annual nationwide survey of young people aged between 15 and 19 by Mission Australia. The share of WA teenagers, who ranked money worries as a leading cause of distress has more than doubled in the past two years, up from 23 per cent in 2022 and 28 per cent last year. Adolescents taking part in the survey were asked to list the three most important issues in Australia today. Nationally, 56 per cent of teenagers ranked the cost of living crisis as their top concern — compared with 57 per cent in WA — with many expressing fears about the impact of interest rates, inflation and food prices on their future prospects. According to a 15-year-old WA girl who was one of the survey’s 17,480 respondents, the biggest challenge she faced in the past year was the cost of living being too high, “making it difficult to afford basic necessities”. The cost-of-living crisis also topped young people’s list of concerns in every State and Territory. Data in the survey report reveals 41 per cent of WA respondents said they or their families had to be careful with money. One in four teens in WA said they had trouble paying for things, compared with 18 per cent nationally. Worryingly, 10 per cent of young people in WA said they went without meals — more than double the national figure of 4 per cent. Around 13 per cent could not pay bills or car expenses and 14 per cent had sought help from family, friends or a charity. Young people who spoke to The West Australian about how rising costs affected them personally said it was increasingly difficult to get by financially, even if they had a job. “It’s really stressful,” Brodie Smith, 16, said. “I have a job but I still don’t have that much money because I’m spending it all on fuel, it’s been so expensive.” Charlotte Kennedy, 17, agreed. “I’ve started driving and I’m paying for fuel and I feel like the wages haven’t changed since my parents were younger,” she said. “My parents were getting paid like $15 an hour and now that’s what I’m getting paid, even though the cost of everything has gone up.” Tayla Ferguson, 17, said she worked as a casual. “It’s really hard when you get sick,” she said. “I couldn’t work and had no income at all, so I couldn’t afford to do anything.” Mason Ferns, 15, said rising prices were “definitely scary”. “We just went to get some burgers and drinks and it came to like $50 which is very expensive and it’s just going to go up and up,” he said. “I’m definitely trying to pick up more shifts because I just want to see more money going back into my account.” Mission Australia’s WA director Sue Budalich said previous leading issues of national youth concern, such as the environment, reduced in significance when people were struggling to make ends meet. “It is clear that financial struggles are considerably impacting young lives and their views about our country,” she said. “It points to the need for increased financial support to help alleviate financial hardship. “Boosting the rates of Job Seeker, Youth Allowance and Commonwealth Rent Assistance is the best way to ensure help reaches those who need it most. “While climate change remains an important issue for young people . . . it currently takes a back seat to the urgent financial challenges many are facing due to Australia’s cost of living crisis.” Nationally, climate change was the second-ranked key concern, followed by violence, safety and crime, and then mental health. The other issues that WA teens listed as their most important included housing and homelessness, discrimination and inequality and climate change and the environment. In the past year, 21 per cent of adolescents in WA — compared with 11 per cent nationally — reported worrying about having a safe place to stay. “Young people shouldn’t have to worry about where they are going to sleep tonight,” Ms Budalich said. “They should be thinking about education, friends, family and their future from the stability of a safe, secure and affordable home.” Nearly half of West Aussies (47 per cent) rated their general level of happiness as high, while 39 per cent felt positive about their future.