About the survey
The Mission Australia Youth Survey is your chance to speak up about what life is really like for young people in Australia. Now in its 25th year, it’s the biggest survey of its kind, and your voice helps shape a clearer national picture of what young people are experiencing today.
If you’re 14–19, you can share what matters to you - your challenges, hopes, goals, and what you wish adults understood. What you tell us helps schools, governments, and community groups better support young people and respond to the issues you face.
Thousands take part each year, and every voice counts. The survey is anonymous and is a simple way to make sure your views are heard.
The 2026 Youth Survey is now open, celebrating 25 years of insights from young people aged 14 to 19.
Why take part?
Your voice helps create real change
Your responses guide schools, governments and community organisations to improve support for young people in Australia.
Help adults understand youth experiences better
Sharing your challenges, hopes and goals helps adults understand what young people face and what support is most needed.
All experiences count - including yours
No matter your background or identity, your views help build a clearer national picture of young people’s lives today.
Join Australia’s biggest youth survey
Since 2002, more than 500,000 surveys have been completed, making this Australia’s largest annual youth study.
We want our young people to know that we are listening and are grateful to them for sharing a part of their lives with us
What's involved?
The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete. Most questions simply ask you to tick a box, like choosing from yes/no options or rating something on a scale.
A few questions give you space to write more if you want to, but you can skip any that don’t feel right.
You can complete the survey at school or in your own time, and yes - you can do it on your phone. If you start the survey and change your mind, you can exit anytime before finishing and your answers won’t be used.
Yes. Your answers are confidential and won’t be shared with parents, teachers, or anyone else. The survey is hosted securely, with your respoanses encrypted and stored only where the Mission Australia research team can access them. Reports use results from big groups of young people - like state or postcode levels - so individuals are never identified. Your school may request a report using school‑level data, but even then, nothing you personally write is shown. There is one exception: if an open‑text response suggests you might be unsafe or at risk of harm, Mission Australia has a duty of care to alert your school Principal or relevant authority so they can support you.
Your responses help create national, state and community‑level reports used by schools, governments, policymakers and community organisations. These reports help them understand what young people are dealing with and what support is needed. Your school may also use its school‑level report to improve programs, wellbeing support or student services.
The survey covers a wide range of important topics - including mental health, school and work, friendships and family, cost of living, climate concerns, social media, community connections, sources of stress, and what you wish adults understood. These insights shape better programs, policies and advocacy for young people across Australia. Data is stored securely and may be used for future reporting or research.
You can skip any question that feels uncomfortable or upsetting. If any part of the survey brings up tough feelings, it’s completely okay to pause or stop. The questions are designed to cause as little distress as possible, but help is available if you need someone to talk to.
You can reach out to the organisations below for support:
Or you can talk to your parent, caregiver or school counsellor.
The survey is voluntary, so you decide how much you want to share.
The project also has Human Research Ethics Committee approval from the University of Melbourne, which means the questions and approach have been checked to ensure your safety.
