Summary

Adolescence and young adulthood is a critical period in a person’s life. Young people can experience rapid physical, social and emotional changes. For many, these changes occur while they are also making the transition from dependence to independence. This is a time for finishing school, pursuing further training and education, entering the workforce, moving out of the family home, and forming relationships.

However, the pathways from education to work, and from the parental home to independent living, have become more varied and complex, and often extend over longer periods than in the past.

Australia’s youth: in brief presents key findings from the main web report, Australia’s youth. Both reports examine the most recent data available across 7 broad areas, or domains. These domains are based on the AIHW’s people-centred data model— health, education, social support, income and finance, employment, housing, and justice and safety health, education, social support, income finance, employment, housing, and justice and safety.

This model acknowledges that although the different domains are reported separately, they are in fact inter-related—a young person’s development and wellbeing occurs within the dynamic influences of the family, community and broader society.