We asked students what they thought the hardest thing was about being a young person and these were their top five challenges.
Mental Health
Not surprisingly, mental health is one of the top issues for young people.
While 26 per cent of students surveyed said they struggled with mental health, national statistics suggest that it’s more likely one in three. It’s also more likely to be a problem for females (33 per cent) than males (17 per cent).
Youth Insight Research Director, Toni Cundy, suggested this could be for a number of reasons, including due to COVID-19 isolation.
“There’s also this perception that the number of mental health support services available declines as you get older when they could potentially be most needed once students finish university and enter the working world.”
Finding a Job
There’s no doubt the world of work is changing, but purpose and fulfilment is more important than ever – especially to Gen Z.
They’re searching relentlessly to find the job that suits their needs, as well as aligns with their values, and it’s for this reason, 26 per cent of them think starting a career is their biggest challenge.
“While rates of unemployment are at a low, this is largely made up of part-time and casual workers like we’ve never had before and these workers won’t get the same benefits as full-time workers,” Toni said.
Lack of Motivation
Young people are really struggling with the motivation they need to get their work done with 25 per cent of the young people surveyed putting procrastination as one of their biggest issues.
To try and gain a better understanding of how students deal with procrastination, Youth Insight recently partnered with Studiosity to put a report together which you’ll be able to check out soon.
Money
It’s a problem for us all, but Gen Z think saving money is hugely important with 24 per cent putting it in their top challenges of being young.
Not having enough money is also more likely to be a bigger issue for young women (27 per cent) than young men (19 per cent).
“Money doesn’t go as far and not only are Gen Z trying to save money for milestones, like buying a house or car, they’re now also recognising the importance of investing for the future and are interested in NFTs”
Toni Cundy, Research Director
Other top concerns for young people include having a high workload (22 per cent), having to make big decisions about the future (21 per cent) and the impact of COVID-19 on their life (20 per cent).
Those of least concern were not feeling valued (8 per cent), not fitting in (9 per cent) and feeling pressured by society (12 per cent).
So, how will you work to be a part of the solution and help to solve the issues of young people?
For more unique youth insights, check out our Gen Z reports. Or, to submit a question for our next quarterly Gen Z survey, get in touch at support@youthinsight.com.au.
