National Seniors Australia conducted a survey in late 2019 gathering information about what older Australians think about younger people and their concerns for them. There were 2,794 respondents to the study, and the results are outlined in a report called “Worry about the younger generation: Older Australians’ intergenerational solidarity”, which was published on the 28th July 2021.
As you can tell from the title of the report, the respondents held concerns about younger people. The main areas of concerns were:
- Unemployment and job security - 31%
- Housing affordability - 27%
- Education - 20%
- Mental health - 10%
- Climate change - 9%
Other issues raised included physical health and wellbeing, drugs and alcohol, violence and crime, social media, and poor parenting.
On a more positive note, National Seniors CEO, Professor John McCallum, said that “Far from frowning about younger people, many seniors have empathy and expressed admiration and respect for them”
Examples of this sentiment were comments such as:
- “…my experience with the young indicates the future is in good hands.”
- “Mostly they seem to have the right ideas, even if we oldies don’t appreciate them.”
There was also a theme of sadness in the comments that younger Australians might not lead as fortunate a life as the older generation has.
It will be interesting to see if the results change given the impact of the pandemic when the next survey into young people is conducted by National Seniors Australia.
