Queer Young People in Australia: Insights from the 2021 Australian Youth Barometer

Report authors: Blake Cutler, Beatriz Gallo Cordoba, Lucas Walsh, Masha Mikola, Catherine Waite

The experiences and realities of queer young Australians are often the topics of public and political discussions. This paper presents a ‘deep dive’ into these experiences by drawing on data from the Australian Youth Barometer.

Download the report: Queer Young People in Australia: Insights from the 2021 Australian Youth Barometer.

The 2021 Australian Youth Barometer provides an overview of a range of factors that affect young people in Australia today. In this new series of papers, we offer a more detailed exploration - a ‘deep dive’ - into particular issues and cross-cutting themes that have emerged from the research.

Just over one in five young people who participated in the Youth Barometer self-identified as a member of the queer community. Their responses provide us with insight into the strengths of queer young people and the disproportionate challenges they face in contemporary Australian society.

The pressures on queer young people are striking in relation to three areas: mental health and wellbeing, education, and employment. They can have markedly different experiences of belonging and inclusion in their education. Too many young people face barriers to queer-friendly health and mental health support.

More needs to be done to ensure that queer young people are safe and included. This paper aims to stimulate action and recommends practical evidence-based actions that educators, policy makers and allies of the queer community can take to build thriving communities for every young Australian.