{"id":11315,"date":"2025-12-04T17:26:48","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T17:26:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=11315"},"modified":"2025-12-04T17:26:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T17:26:48","slug":"cost-of-living-tops-list-of-concerns-for-young-australians-in-christian-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=11315","title":{"rendered":"Cost of living tops list of concerns for young Australians in Christian survey"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n \u00a0(Photo: Getty\/iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n

Mission Australia released its Youth Survey 2025 report on 27 November, revealing that cost of living pressures have surged to the top of young Australians\u2019 concerns, with nearly two-thirds of respondents naming it as the most pressing national issue. The findings reflect responses from more than 17,000 young people aged 14 to 19.<\/p>\n

The annual survey by the national Christian charity shows a sharp and sustained shift in what matters most to young Australians, who are increasingly anxious about economic strain and its impacts on their daily lives. Alongside the cost of living (64%), respondents identified mental health (29%), climate change and the environment (27%), and housing and homelessness (25%) as major issues requiring national attention.<\/p>\n

Cost of living has emerged as the dominant concern for the second year in a row, rising from 31% in 2023 to 53% in 2024 and reaching its highest level this year since the question was introduced in 2010. Mission Australia CEO Sharon Callister said the rapid escalation shows how deeply rising prices are shaping young people\u2019s wellbeing and worldview.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a record we never wanted to see broken,\u201d said Callister.\u00a0\u201cYoung people are telling us that the strain of rising prices and not having money for basic essentials is taking a toll on their mental health and their outlook on life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Housing and homelessness is another concern. In summer last year,\u00a0Christian Daily International\u00a0reported\u00a0data from Mission Australia highlighting one-in-ten teenagers surveyed had experienced homelessness in the country. This data came from a 2023 youth survey by Mission Australia for its \u2018The Unfair Divide\u2019 youth homelessness report published on Aug. 1, 2024.<\/p>\n

Of the youths aged 15 to 19 suffering homelessness at the time, the experiences ranged from living with or without families, spending time without a fixed address, living in a refuge or temporary accommodation or simply isolating themselves because they felt unable to return to a home setting.<\/p>\n

Findings from the prior report also showed recently homeless youths suffered greater challenges than their peers from stable homes. They were more likely to endure mental health illnesses (41% versus 13%), loneliness (47% versus 18%), problems fitting in with society (46% versus 26%), financial woes, and strained family relationships (34% versus 5%).<\/p>\n

In the 2025 survey, the issue remained an \u201cissue of national concern\u201d for youngsters with the proportion of young\u00a0 people expressing concern doubling since 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne in four young people are worried about housing and homelessness, they are witnessing and experiencing it at higher levels than ever before,\u201d Callister said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung people are watching their friends and family struggle to pay bills or afford stable housing, and it\u2019s impacting them.\u00a0This points to an urgent need for more investment in social and affordable housing, youth-specific housing \u2013 like Youth Foyers; and practical supports that can make a real difference,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A third dominating concern for young people is mental health. It is deemed both a major national issue and a personal concern for them.<\/p>\n

Two in five (39%) young people reported stress related to their mental health and wellbeing.\u00a0Nearly one in five (19%) reported experiencing high levels of psychological distress in the weeks before the survey.<\/p>\n

\u201cStress and anxiety are affecting young people\u2019s education, work and daily lives,\u201d Callister said.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s causing them to miss school, impacting their confidence and motivation. Young people want access to support and resources so they can get help before the issues escalate.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Mission Australia also reported \u201csome good news\u201d from its latest survey, compared to figures in the two prior years regarding some wellbeing indicators for mental health, which show improvements. These include reductions in loneliness and psychological distress.<\/p>\n

More young people are saying they feel a sense of control over their lives and positivity about the future, according to the charity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want our young people to know that we are listening and are grateful to them [for] sharing a part of their lives with us,\u201d Callister said.\u00a0\u201cYouth Survey highlights the complex realities facing young people across Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom economic pressures to mental health challenges and experiences of discrimination, young people are navigating a range of personal and societal issues.\u00a0Their responses reveal not only the difficulties they encounter, but also their aspirations, values and desire to shape a positive future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mission Australia is now urging governments, schools, communities and families to reflect on the findings and to work \u201cin genuine partnership\u201d with young people.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy listening deeply and acting with purpose, we can build a future where every young person feels supported, included and empowered to reach their potential,\u201d added Callister.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Christian Daily International<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0(Photo: Getty\/iStock) Mission Australia released its Youth Survey 2025 report on 27 November, revealing that cost of living pressures have surged to the top of young Australians\u2019 concerns, with nearly two-thirds of respondents naming it as the most pressing national issue. The findings reflect responses from more than 17,000 young people aged 14 to 19.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[2752,72,1717,2492,2751,179,2753,2750,359],"class_list":{"0":"post-11315","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-christian-living","8":"tag-australians","9":"tag-christian","10":"tag-concerns","11":"tag-cost","12":"tag-list","13":"tag-living","14":"tag-survey","15":"tag-tops","16":"tag-young"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11315\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}