Australian Democrats 2008 Youth Poll
The annual survey aims to capture the perceptions of young people (15-20 years) about themselves, their place in society and the issues important to them. The survey is designed to produce a demographic and attitudinal profile of young Australians in relation to employment, health, education and training, and national and state issues.
Issues surveyed in the national and state section this year included perceptions of asylum seekers, climate change, the Northern Territory intervention, same-sex marriage and homelessness.
Selected findings from Youth Poll 2008:
- When asked to rank a list of nine issues according to their importance, respondents ranked family (84%), health (59%) and education (46%), as the most important issues, while least important were the environment (14%), other (7%) and reconciliation (3%).
- While environment was no longer one of the most significant concerns of young people, almost 75% of respondents supported the signing of the Kyoto Protocol.
- Health continues to be a major issue, with 54% of respondents concerned about ‘body image’.
- The importance of the internet in young people’s lives was measured for the first time in this year’s poll, and the poll found that nearly 75% of respondents belonged to a social networking site.
Source:
Stott Despoja, N. (Senator for South Australia) 2008, Youth Poll 2008, Australian Democrats, Adelaide, viewed 8 July 2008,
http://www.democrats.org.au/campaigns/youth_poll/
http://www.democrats.org.au/campaigns/youth_poll/