Young Australians have rated climate change as their biggest concern, with 95 per cent of them calling it the issue they “give a sh*t about” the most, according to the latest in-depth look into young Australians by Junkee and oOh!media.

It also found that 80 per cent of respondents think we need to tackle climate change urgently, with almost half (46 per cent) saying we should make climate change a priority regardless of cost.

The A Gender for Change research project was conducted by Pollinate Research as part of Junkee and oOh!media’s ongoing commitment to gaining deep audience insights into young Australians, and was unveiled at the Vivid Ideas Exchange in Sydney this week.

The research has been conducted for the last 9 years, with 2,315 young Australians aged 16 to 35 surveyed this year, including Gen Z (roughly 16 to 24 years-old) and Gen Y / Millennials (roughly 25 to 35 years-old).

The results highlight the difference between young Australian males and females, with a new cohort of engaged and empowered females leading the way for positive change in the country.

Some of the other key findings include:

• 71 per cent of Millennial females often feel burnt out, compared to 55 per cent of Millennial
• males
• 72 per cent of Millennials feel lost without their phone, compared to only 59 per cent of Gen Z
• 75 of young Australians say that one of the important aspects of a brand is
• that they support a cause they believe in.
• Over a third of young Australians feel stressed most or all of the time
• 47 per cent of Gen Z has had a digital detox, compared to just 37 per cent of Gen Y
• 56 per cent of Gen Y check FB at least ten times a day, only 47 per cent of Gen Z do.

Junkee Media’s CEO Neil Ackland said A Gender for Change provided brands with critical insights on how to connect with Australian youth by understanding the distinct differences between Millennials and Gen Z and between male and females.

Ackland said: “This year’s theme looked at the differences between the genders of young Australians and it showed whilst most young people recognised the importance and need for gender equality, we still have a long way to go as a society to bring about meaningful change.

“Brands increasingly have a role to play in upholding the values and ethics that are important to young Australians and our data shows that they will support brands that support causes they believe in.”

oOh!media chief customer officer David Scribner said oOh!’s continued investment in research further strengthens its position as experts in the youth audience.

“We are committed to being audience specialists and knowing our target audiences. When it comes to youth, this goal is no different and we are excited to reveal the results from this years’ annual study,” he said.

“A Gender for Change gives us insight into what young Australians are passionate about and what inspires them. It also shows how advertisers can use this insight to communicate their message to truly engage this audience across digital and classic Out of Home, experiential and our unique online and on-campus student platforms.”