The Minister for Youth the Hon Senator Dr Jess Walsh launched the report yesterday at our annual National Youth Forum, revealing what young people told us about a wide range of issues in late 2025.
Designed in collaboration with our very own Youth Steering Committee, the survey aims to understand what issues are most important to young people and how can we improve how young people are included in government decision-making.
The survey is a commitment of the Australian Government’s youth engagement strategy, Engage!, a strategy to include young people in the decisions government makes.
We heard from 2,333 young people with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to help us get a better understanding of how we can improve opportunities to collaborate and connect.
Some of the things we heard from you:
- 98% of young people think it’s important the Australian Government considers their views when making decisions
- 73% of young people want to hear about what the Australian Government is doing for them through social media; 35% said the news and 28% youth organisations, events or posters in community spaces, and
- 47% of young people listed cost of living as a top issue, followed by mental health (28%), climate change (23%), housing affordability (22%) and education and training (19%).
A full list of findings can be found in our report – 2025 National Youth Survey Summary Report.
To address what you told us in the report, we are already taking steps to use these insights to drive more opportunities to engage.
This includes using the findings to inform topics at our 2026 National Youth Forum and the focus of 2026 Youth Advisory Groups.
We also want to make it easier for young people to access Australian Government information and services, as well as support First Nations young people to lead and contribute to decisions that affect their communities.
To see how we’re actioning this make sure to follow us on social media or to subscribe to our newsletter!