MOVING up nine spots from last year, the environment has become the number one concern for young people in the ACT, according to Mission Australia’s “Youth Survey Report 2019”.  

For young people aged between 15 and 19 in the ACT, “the environment” soared from tenth place in 2018 (10 per cent) to first place in 2019 (53.1 per cent) out of the topics that young people in the ACT say are the most important issues in Australia.

Having a say about important issues was another concern amongst local teenagers with only one in 20 (5.5 per cent) saying they have a voice “all of the time” in public affairs.

More than one in three (35 per cent) young people indicated that mental health is an important issue in Australia. This is in increase from 2016, when 26.3 per cent identified it as an issue.

Other top concerns for young people are stress, school or study problems, mental health and body image.

Bullying was another topic mentioned in the report, and when young people were asked whether they had experienced bullying, more than one in four (26 per cent) of young people from the ACT reported that they’d been bullied in the past 12 months. Of those who had experienced bullying, three quarters (74.4 per cent) reported that the bullying took place at school, university or other tertiary institutes. Three in 10 (30.5 per cent) had experienced bullying online/on social media, while close to one in five (18.3 per cent) had experienced bullying at home.

The Mission Australia area manager for the ACT, Daniel Strickland says: “These results show us that young people in the ACT and across Australia are deeply concerned about a range of important issues.”

“This year, our Youth Survey also confirms a concerning level of bullying which young people are experiencing or witnessing. This is unacceptable. Bullying can cause and intensify mental health concerns, which can have potentially harmful and lasting effects on the lives of young people.”