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Key findings

  • In 2018, young people aged 15–24 showed a high level of satisfaction with their relationship with their partners, with an average satisfaction score of 8.5 out of 10.
  • In 2016, 27% of young people aged 18–24 experienced sexual harassment in the 12 months before the survey.
  • In 2017, almost 1 in 3 young people (31%) believed that women prefer a man to be in charge of a relationship; this view was more common among males (36%) than females (26%).

Developing an intimate relationship is an important development stage during late adolescence and early adulthood. Several factors can affect the quality of these relationships:

  • Relationships in which partners can develop their potential, achieve personal and shared goals and maintain a secure attachment are those likely to benefit the wellbeing of the young people in the relationship (Gomez-Lopez et al. 2019).
  • Adolescent romantic experiences can also play an important role in the development of future romantic and marital relationships (Shulman & Connolly 2013).
  • The adolescent’s own interpersonal skills (for example, assertiveness, positive engagement) and their family experiences (for example, a positive family climate and more competent parenting) can positively influence the development of healthy young adult romantic relationships (Xia et al. 2018).
  • Boyfriends and girlfriends can also be a source of support when help is needed (see Peer relationships and social networks).

Establishing respectful relationships and healthy attitudes in adolescence and young adulthood is also important for the broader community. Attitudes that condone or tolerate violence play a central role in shaping how individuals, organisations and communities respond to it (Politoff et al. 2019).

Young people are a specific focus under The National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010–2022. The delivery of respectful relationships programs in schools and other youth settings are an important part of addressing violence against women and children.

This section looks at how many young people are in intimate relationships, how they feel about them (including sexual experiences) and, more broadly, what their knowledge is of respectful relationships (Box 1). For information on family, domestic and sexual violence and on sexual assault see Crime and violence.

Box 1: Data sources on intimate relationships

The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) is a major study, which began in 2004 and follows the development of Australian children. The survey collects information on physical and mental health; education; and social, cognitive and emotional development. The data are sourced from parents, child carers, educators and the children themselves.

Population estimates from the LSAC represent the population of Australian children born in Australia between March 2003 and February 2004 (B cohort) and those born between March 1999 and February 2000 (K cohort). These 2 cohorts of children totalled more than 10,000 children at the outset of the study in 2004. (Data are not representative of children who migrated to Australia.)

The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) study is a nationally representative longitudinal household study that began in 2001. It follows the lives of more than 17,000 Australians, over the course of their life. The survey collects information on many aspects of life in Australia, including household and family relationships, intimate relationships, income and employment, and health and education. The same households and individuals are interviewed every year, to see how their lives are changing over time. The survey follows not only the initial sample members for the remainder of their lives, but also their children and all subsequent descendants. While the HILDA includes variables to support the disaggregation of data by remoteness and socioeconomic areas, findings were not statistically significant, and so are not reported in this section. This may in part be due to small sample sizes.

The ABS Personal Safety Survey (PSS) collects information from women and men aged 18 and over about the nature and extent of violence they may have experienced since the age of 15. Sexual harassment is considered to have occurred when a person has experienced or been subjected to 1 or more selected behaviours they found improper or unwanted and that made them feel uncomfortable, and/or were offensive due to their sexual nature (ABS 2017).

The National Survey of Australian Secondary Students and Sexual Health aims to provide information on:

  • knowledge about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
  • sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and blood-borne viruses (BBVs)
  • behaviours that impact on BBVs and STIs
  • and educational initiatives to improve knowledge and minimise behaviours that increase the risk of infection.

Data are collected from a diverse cross-sectional convenience sample. The results of the survey should be seen as a good indication of the knowledge, behaviour and educational experiences of secondary students in Australia, but results do not constitute a representative sample (Fisher et al. 2019).

The National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey (NCAS) collects information with a representative sample of Australians aged 16 and over. The survey sample for young people aged 16–24 was 1,761. Data were collected on young people’s understanding of (and attitudes towards) violence against women, attitudes towards gender equality, what influences their attitude, and whether they are prepared to intervene when witnessing abuse or disrespect towards women.

How many 16–17 year olds are in a relationship?

Findings from LSAC research showed that, in 2016, among young people aged 16–17:

  • around two-thirds (67% of males and 62% of females) reported having had at least 1 relationship. These results are lower than those from the 2018 National Survey of Secondary Students and Sexual Health where around 77% of 14–18 year olds reported having had a relationship at some point in their lives (Warren & Swami 2019)
  • 1 in 5 males and 1 in 4 females said that they currently had a boyfriend or girlfriend
  • the majority of young people who reported having a boyfriend/girlfriend had one from the opposite sex (96% of both males and females)
  • around half (51%) reported regularly staying over at each other’s place
  • more than 4 in 5 (84%) considered that they were in committed/exclusive relationships while the rest considered that their relationships were casual (Warren & Swami 2019).

How satisfied are young people with their relationship?

Based on data from the HILDA, in 2018, young people aged 15–24 were, on average, very satisfied with their relationship with their partners. On a scale of 0 to 10, the average satisfaction score was 8.5.

Responsible sexual behaviours

Based on findings from the 2018 National Survey of Secondary Students and Sexual Health, among students from Years 10, 11 and 12, just under half (47%) reported ever having engaged in sexual intercourse; for the purposes of the study, these students were considered to be sexually active. Of these participants:

  • most reported positive feelings about their last sexual encounter; for example, they felt good (88%), happy (88%) and fantastic (73%)
  • the majority discussed matters of sexual health before having sex:
    • 81% talked about having sex
    • 77% talked about using a condom
    • 62% talked about avoiding pregnancy
    • 48% talked about how to get sexual pleasure without intercourse
    • 36% talked about avoiding STIs and 30% about avoiding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
  • most (62%) reported that they often (24%) or always (38%) had used condoms in the previous 12 months

    • males were more likely than females to report having always used a condom in the previous 12 months (45% and 35%, respectively) (Fisher et al. 2019).

Unwanted sexual behaviours

Findings from LSAC research showed that, in 2016, among young people aged 16–17:

  • 1 in 2 females (49%) and 1 in 3 males (31%) reported having experienced some form of unwanted sexual behaviour in the past 12 months:
    • 1 in 3 females (33%) and 1 in 5 males (20%) reported that someone told, showed or sent sexual pictures, stories or jokes that made them feel uncomfortable (see also Bullying and negative online experiences)
    • 3 in 10 females (30%) and 1 in 7 males (15%) reported that someone made sexual gestures, rude remarks, used body language, touched or looked at them in a way that embarrassed or upset them
  • 1 in 12 females (8%) and 1 in 8 males (12%) reported having engaged in sexually unwanted behaviours towards someone else
    • 1 in 15 females (7%) and 1 in 12 males (8%) told, showed or sent sexual pictures, stories or jokes that made someone feel uncomfortable
    • 1 in 33 (3%) females and 1 in 15 males (7%) made sexual gestures, rude remarks, used body language, touched, or looked at someone in a way that embarrassed or upset them.

The proportion of males who engaged in sexually unwanted behaviours towards someone else was significantly higher among those who had viewed pornography for the first time before the age of 13 than among those who had never viewed pornography (24% compared with 7%) (Warren & Swami 2019).

Sexual harassment

Based on the Personal Safety Survey 2016, among young people aged 18–24:

  • 27% experienced sexual harassment in the 12 months before the survey
  • the proportion of young females reporting sexual harassment in the 12 months before the survey was more than twice as high as for males (38% and 16%, respectively) (ABS 2017).

Data on attitudes to gender equality in relationships are available from the NCAS (Box 2).

Box 2: Attitudes to gender equality in relationships

Adolescence and young adulthood is a time when gender identities, roles and relationships are being formed. Supporting young people to establish positive gender expressions and relationship practices can help to reduce the risk of violence and abuse in the present, prevent future harm and maximise the prospects of a violence‑free environment for future generations (Politoff et al. 2019).

Findings from The National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey (NCAS) for 2017 showed that among young people aged 16–24:

  • very few support rigid gender roles, stereotypes and expressions. Only 5% agreed that if a woman earns more than her male partner, it is not good for the relationship
  • there is a high level of support for women’s independence and decision making in public life, but less support for this in private life. Almost 1 in 3 young people (31%) believe that women prefer a man to be in charge of a relationship; this view was more common among males (36%) than females (26%). However, the proportion of young people who agree that men should take control in relationships fell from 22% to 17% between 2013 and 2017.

In relation to the condoning of male peer relations involving aggression and disrespect towards women, in 2017:

  • more than 2 in 5 young Australians (43%) support the statement: ’I think it’s natural for a man to want to appear in control of his partner in front of his male friends’
  • more than 1 in 5 young people (22%) believe there is no harm in men making sexist jokes about women when among their male friends, with this attitude more common among males (30%) than females (14%)
  • few young people (4%) agree that it’s acceptable for men to joke about being violent towards women.

In relation to the circumstances in which young people justify non-consensual sex:

  • only 4–5% are prepared to justify non-consensual sex, regardless of whether the couple are married or had just met
  • around 1 in 7 believed a man would be justified to force sex if the women initiated the intimacy, but then changed her mind and pushed him away (Politoff et al. 2019).

Where do I find more information?

For information on topics related to intimate relationships in Australia’s youth, such as:

For more detailed information on:

 

Australia's youth: