Young people face challenges finding employment and managing their finances. A survey of youth issues found the top concerns were securing a job and financial affairs. While other issues like the environment, transport and homelessness were also important, young people felt government communication and assistance with their top concerns was lacking. They received little career and financial advice from government sources and felt perceptions of youth focused too much on energetic characteristics instead of qualities like caring and kindness. The survey highlighted a need for better alignment between how government communicates with youth and how young people actually receive information.

1. Results of a Brief Youth Issues
Survey
Bradley Kalgovas

2. While there are 2 primary issues which affect young people, a range of other issues
also have an impact on young people
Selection of Youth Issues
Issues Affecting
Youth
Employment Financial Affairs Other Issues
•Good university grades are not •Developing a good •Economic
enough to secure an attractive understanding of financial •Environment
graduate offer affairs leads to a sound •Transport
•Little formal high quality financial position throughout •Community/Friendship
advice is received by young life •Perceptions of Youth
people •People expressed that they •Youth homelessness
•Young people are not satisfied were not happy with their •Cyber Bullying
with the quality and quantity financial position and that
of advice they receive their plans were undeveloped
The root cause of these issues is a misalignment in communication strategies

3. While a variety of issues are raised by young people; common concerns are finding a
job and managing finances
Issues Affecting Young People Ranking of Key Youth Issues
8
• Lack of affordable housing
Economic • Oil prices/ petrol prices 7
• Economic security 6
• US economic situation
5
Ranking
Transport • Lack of good transport 4
• Public transport 3
2
• Lack of a fossil fuel alternative
Environment • Carbon tax 1
• Climate and environment 0
Society's
• Climate change
Finding a Managing perceptio Cyber
Homeless
job finances n of young Bullying
• Personal liberties being eroded (e.g. people
increasing alcohol tax) Min SD 0.39 0.86 2.3 2.83 2.69
• Moral values of society Mean 2.35 2.58 4.38 4.88 4.38
• Human rights Max SD 4.31 4.3 6.46 6.93 6.07
Community/
• Global development
Friendship
• Having a network of close friends
• Support for further education
• Finding a work/ life balance
• Quality of education system Finding a job and
managing finances are
• Feeling like my neighborhood is a
the 2 key issues
close community
+/- 1SD from average for Max and Min SD

4. Finding a job is an issue that affects a number of young people
Study and Work Commitments Searching and Finding Internships*
Working
28%
56% 80%
72% No Internship
Internship
83%
Part Time Full Time 20%
Studying Have
38% Searched
15%
No Searching
Studying 63%
Undertaken
Working
85%
Part Time Full Time
Key Insights
•Majority of people are studying and they are studying full time
•39% of people are working and studying
•Of the 20% that had not undertaken an internship, 63% have searched for one
* Internships were referred to as “Internships, Apprenticeships or Casual Employment” in the survey

5. Young people do not find it easy to locate casual employment and do not use
government agencies as a source of advice
Difficulty in Securing Advice and Employment Sources of Career Advice
Difficulty in finding casual employment
Other
Easy Difficult
19 51 83
Family
Certainty about career path
Uncertain Certain
34 62 90 Government
Satisfaction with Career Advice Quantity University
Dissatisfied Satisfied
33 61 89
School
Satisfaction with Career Advice Quality 0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Dissatisfied Satisfied * Other is mainly friends
32 59 87
+/- 1SD from average, indicates variability Average of responses
in responses

6. Young people are not certain about their financial plans and they are not satisfied with
the quality of financial advice they receive
Difficulty in Securing Advice and Employment Sources of Financial Advice
Happiness with present financial situation
Other
Easy Difficult
25 54 83
Family
Development of Future Financial Plans
Uncertain Certain
21 46 71 Government
Satisfaction with Financial Advice Quantity University
Dissatisfied Satisfied
24 51 78
School
Satisfaction with Financial Advice Quality 0 20 40 60 80 100
Dissatisfied Satisfied *Other is mainly friends, work
31 55 79
+/- 1SD from average, indicates variability Average of responses
in responses

7. Perceptions of Young People are focused on their energetic characteristics
Words which most characterize society's perceptions of young
people...according to young people
Key Insights
• Free, technology, impatient
and confronting are words
that are top of mind for young
people when thinking about
how society views them
• Caring, tolerant and kind were
not at the top of the list
Greater colour intensity
represents a high number of
clicks in the associated area
Need to use what we are good at (i.e. technology) to assist in changing perceptions
and also to interact more with government

8. Young people perceive that government only conducts minimal interaction with young
people
Frequency and type of Government Contact Usage of Government Services
60%
79%
50%
40%
30%
20% 47%
Yes
10% 53%
No
0%
60%
50%
Key Insights
• 71% can’t remember when they last had contact with a
40%
government agency
30% • Most of the contact is in relation to tax related issues,
Medicare and Centrelink
20%
• 66% of young people identified themselves as not
10% receiving government communications
• The communication mechanism for reaching out to young
0%
people is not aligned to how young people receive
Email Face to Facebook Mail Phonecall SMS
Face messages

9. Young people do not identify that they have received assistance from government in
many key issues due to misaligned communication channels
• A number of young people are working while studying or have been searching for internships
Employment
• They receive minimal advice from government and find it difficult to find casual employment
• Young people are not satisfied with the development of their future financial plans and the
Financial Affairs quantity of financial advice they have received
• Again, little financial advice is received from government
• Young people perceive that society views them unfavourably
Other • There are numerous issues that concern youth such as the environment, the economy,
transport, community, homelessness and cyberbullying
• Young people perceive that that they have minimal contact with government
Communication • Communication strategies are misaligned. How government communicates is not how young
people receive messages

10. Appendix: Sample Details
Survey Details
Age Group of Sample Location • Online Survey
• Initially posted on facebook,
0-14 0% myspace and linkedin and then
sent invitations
Regional
15-18 5% • Conducted from Nov 12- Nov 22
• Surveys completed anonymously
19-22 73%
• Age focused in the 19-22 year
old category
• Most respondents located in
23-26 23% Sydney
Sydney • A high proportion of respondents
27-30 0% are university students
• Responses started=44, responses
30+ 0% completed=39
0% 50% 100%