Skip navigation

Custom Search

Future

What young people are thinking

A Newspoll survey was commissioned by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum (DSF), an independent public interest organisation, to provide insights into the study and work attitudes, opinions and experiences of 18- to 24-year-olds.

Based on a poll of 803 young Australians:

  • 95% are satisfied with their life overall,
  • 88% are confident that everything will "work out okay" for them in their working life and career in the years ahead, and
  • 86% are confident they will be financially secure in the future – and believe they will achieve a standard of living as good as or better than their parents.

However, the report warns that beneath the confidence voiced by the majority, there are several fault lines pointing to future risks that need to be addressed in election-year policy debates.

  • A young person's level of engagement is significantly affected by their own or their parents' level of educational attainment and the type of school attended:
    • Only 42% of early school leavers are fully engaged, compared to 69% of those who have completed Year 12.
    • 37% of early school leavers are not working or studying at all.
    • Those who attended non-government schools for their final year have a higher level of engagement (73%) than those who attended a government school (58%).
    • Levels of full engagement are also higher than average among those with at least one parent having completed a postsecondary qualification.
  • There is a disparity between those working or studying fulltime and those engaged on a part-time basis:
    • 37% of those not fully engaged are dissatisfied with their financial situation.
    • Full-time students are much more positive about their study experience.
    • About half of those not fully engaged are dissatisfied with their employment situation.
    • 36% of part-time or casual workers are dissatisfied with their financial situation with few seeing their current job as directly in line with their chosen occupation.

The survey What young people are thinking complements DSF's comprehensive annual report, How young people are faring.

A full version of What young people are thinking can be downloaded from Dusseldorp Skills Forum's website: http://www.dsf.org.au

Source: Dusseldorp Skills Forum, media release, 30/4/2007: Doing it for themselves: Young Australians very confident about education and work.
http://www.dsf.org.au/papers/195.htm

Back to top

Present and future issues of importance to Australian adolescents

The Australian Institute of Family Studies published data from Wave 4 of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey 2004 as part of its Snapshots of Australian Families with Adolescents publication in May 2006. One component of this survey was to ask young Australians aged 15–18 to rank 12 issues according to how important they were in their lives now, and how important they anticipate the same issues will be when they are 35 years old.

Current issues of importance:

  • The most important current issue for both male and female respondents were keeping fit, getting more education and having lots of friends, although females, unlike males, considered getting more education to be more important than keeping fit.
  • Male respondents were more likely than female respondents to 'attach high importance to the things that would help them to get ahead in life, such as having a successful career, making a lot of money, and saving and investing.'
  • Male respondents than female respondents viewed engaging in sports and hobbies as important (69% compared to 49%), while more female respondents than male respondents viewed travelling overseas as important (33% compared with 24%)

Adolescents aged 15-18 years: Proportion of boys and girls who attached importance to various issues *

* 'Importance' refers to ratings of 8-10 on a scale ranging from 0 'Not at all important' to 10 'Very important'.

Anticipated issues of importance at age 35:

  • Both male and female respondents anticipated that a successful career, saving and investing, and making money would be important issues for them at age 35.
  • More male respondents than female respondents thought that living with someone in a long-term relationship would be important to them at age 35 (76% compared with 65%).
  • Approximately 60% of male and female respondents believed that having children would be important to them by age 35.
  • 69% of both male and female respondents anticipated keeping fit would be important to them at age 35.

Adolescents aged 15-18 years: Proportion of boys and girls who believed they would attach importance to various life issues when they were 35 years old *

* 'Importance' refers to ratings of 8-10 on a scale ranging from 0 'Not at all important' to 10 'Very important'.

Australian Institute of Family Studies: http://www.aifs.gov.au

Sources:
Australian Institute of Family Studies 2006, Snapshots of Australian Families with Adolescents, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne [viewed 17/01/2007].
The Australian, 18/5/06, p.7.

Back to top

Generation Y favours love over money in career choice

A recent survey of the motivations and career plans of 1,344 disadvantaged Generation Y Australian students has found that many are planning future careers based on their interests and abilities rather than anticipated income.

The report On track? Students choosing a career surveyed Year 11 and 12 students receiving support as part of The Smith Family's Learning for Life program, which seeks to improve the life opportunities of young Australians by providing them with better access to education. Results found that 67% of those surveyed plan to undertake a Bachelor Degree or Diploma in the future, while 60% of respondents anticipated that university study would be worthwhile. Despite this, only a small proportion of students demonstrated an accurate understanding of how further study will impact their salary, indicating that their assessment of 'worth' is based on values other than financial gain.

The report also raises serious concerns about whether these students truly understand the education level required for their 'dream job' or the availability of specific jobs in the current market. Approximately 25% of those surveyed are planning to achieve a level of education that is too low to attain their 'dream job'.

Dr Rob Simons, National Manager of Strategic Research and Policy for The Smith Family, said that the report identified 'a strong correlation between the parents' expectations of further study and the student's desire to attend TAFE or university'.

Dr Simons also remarked that the report 'suggests the importance of governments facilitating access to a broad range of educational and training pathways in response to students' interests and aspirations'.

On track? Students choosing a career is the fourth in a series of reports conducted by The Smith Family that investigates the study and career plans of disadvantaged youth.
A full copy of the report can be downloaded from The Smith Family's website.

Sources:
The Smith Family 2006, For love, not money: Gen Y students place personal interests ahead of salary when choosing a career, media release 22 May, The Smith Family, Sydney [viewed 17/01/2007].
The Smith Family 2006, On track? Students choosing a career Executive Summary, The Smith Family, Sydney [viewed 17/01/2007].
Canberra Times, 22/5/06, p.3.
Herald Sun, 22/5/06, p.10.
The Mercury, 22/5/06, p.7.
The West Australian, 22/5/06, p.29.
Adelaide Advertiser, 22/5/06, p.4.

Back to top

Projected student numbers

'State governments primarily fund school education, as well as vocational education and training providers (including technical and further education institutions). The trend towards privately funded education, both for schools and for tertiary education, is growing.'

'A key driver of changes in education spending is the number of students. The rate of increase in student numbers is slowing due to declining fertility, with the proportion of the population in the principal age group for education (5- to 24-year-olds) decreasing from 36% in 1972 to 28% in 2002.

However, participation rates for most age groups in post-secondary education generally have increased since the early 1990s. School participation rates have been largely constant since the mid-1990s after increasing from the mid-1980s.

While school participation rates are projected to remain around current levels, university and vocational education and training participation rates are projected to rise, both for the traditional tertiary education age group (17- to 24-year-olds) and those aged over 24.

By 2042 the proportion of the population in the principal age group for education is projected to fall to 21%. On that basis, and assuming increased university and vocational education and training participation rates, the overall growth in the total number of all students is projected to generally slow for the next two decades. Projected total numbers remain steady from 2021 until 2035, and then begin to decline.'

Australian Government, The Treasury, Intergenerational Report 2002–03, Budget Paper No.5 of the 2002-03 Budget [viewed 17/01/2007].

Back to top