Youth survey

Each year, young people aged 15 to 19, from across Australia share their values, aspirations and concerns in Australia’s largest annual Youth Survey. This year, 20,207 young people identified concerns relating to COVID-19, the environment, equity and discrimination and mental health.

In 2021, Mission Australia conducted its 20th annual Youth Survey. This overview provides a summary of the key findings from this year’s survey, including their concerns about COVID-19, the environment, equity and discrimination and mental health.

This is the fifth national report on young people’s mental health produced by Mission Australia and the Black Dog Institute. The report reveals important insights about prevalence of psychological distress in 15-19 year olds over time (2012 to 2020). Then, focusing on 2020 data, we look at the characteristics of young people living with psychological distress, explore impact of psychological distress on experiences in daily life, and identify barriers that might prevent them from seeking help when they need it.

This summary booklet contains the key findings, policy and practice recommendations, and messages to the community from the Psychological Distress in Young People in Australia Fifth Biennial Youth Mental Health Report: 2012-2020.

Mission Australia’s Young Voices of the Pandemic reports on the free-text responses provided by young people in the 2020 Youth Survey in answer to the question ‘In the past year, what is the biggest issue that you have been dealing with? What do you think needs to be done about it?’. This report seeks to amplify young people’s voices using their own words to provide a glimpse of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on young people’s experiences of education, isolation and mental health.