The effects of climate change, COVID-19, and the gig economy on young Australians
The Life Patterns research program has been following two generations of Australians since the early 1990s. The first cohort (known as 'Gen X') graduated from high school in 1991, while the second cohort (known as 'Gen Y' or 'Millennials') graduated in 2006.
This important long-term research program surveys and collects data from both cohorts on a wide range of topics, allowing our MGSE researchers to build a window into the lives of young Australians, revealing the key issues they face and how they cope.
The most recent reports look at data from 2020 to see how both cohorts dealt with the sudden and frequent effects of climate change, a global pandemic, and an ever-changing and evolving employment landscape, among other things.
- An analysis of the labour, financial and social impact of COVID-19 in young adults’ lives by Hernán Cuervo, Quentin Maire, Julia Cook and Johanna Wyn.
- Climate change and COVID-19: The views of two generations on the most important issues in Australia by Quentin Maire, Eric Fu and Jenny Chesters.
- Negotiating adulthood in the 21st century: The impact of precarious work on the identity, autonomy and satisfaction of young Australians by Jenny Chesters and Hernán Cuervo.
