Young females
A group of Catholic school girls look at their phones as they wait on the route that Pope Francis will take later in the day near St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York September 24, 2015. Reuters/Lucas Jackson

Young people continue to report coping with stress and school and study problems as their two biggest personal concerns, a survey among Australians aged 15-19 years old has found.

Fifty-two per cent of teens believe there are barriers which will prevent them from reaching their goals after school, with more young females reporting the presence of these hurdles, according to the 2015 Mission Australia Youth Survey.

The survey, which includes responses from nearly 19,000 teens, said that the top three barriers considered were academic ability, financial difficulty and lack of jobs. Over one in ten respondents also said that family responsibilities and physical or mental health are barriers to their achievements.

The 2015 Youth Survey also found that alcohol and drugs was the biggest concern facing the nation identified by young people, followed by equity and discrimination, as well as economy and financial matters.

“In the context of high youth unemployment and a rapidly changing job market, this year we wanted to find out how young people felt about their futures and what may stand in their way to achieving those goals. It’s important we listen to their fears and policy makers respond accordingly,” said Mission Australia CEO Catherine Yeomans.

She noted that the prominence of financial difficulty as a barrier to young people’s goals after school is concerning, since young people are known to adjust their aspirations in response to financial constraints early in their school life. This may limit their options for the future, Yeomans added.

“The fact that they are continuing to report the economy and financial matters as a national concern shows that financial issues are weighing heavily on their minds as they consider their futures,” she said.

In 21st Century Australia, there is a need to ensure that the policies and supports are in place so children do not self-limit their aspirations because of financial concerns, Yeomans pointed out.

Still, it was heartening to see that overall, young people were positive about the future, Yeomans said. Around three in five respondents reported that they feel positive or very positive about the future, while it is a concern that one in ten felt either negative or very negative.

“Young Australians have big dreams, and so they should. But they also have very real challenges and we must ensure we are helping them to break down the barriers – real or otherwise – that will impede their success,” Yeomans concluded.

According to the 2015 Future Leaders Index, two in three young Australians were apprehensive about getting the right position in the current economic climate, and more than half of them felt that Australia was lagging behind in job prospects.

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