We Asked Random Uni Students What They Think About Politics
We all know the federal election is looming and we often hear chatter around campaign time that young people perhaps don’t really care.
But did you know Australia recorded its single biggest day of enrolments in history and that more than half of them came from 18-24-year-olds?
We know how much young people care about the big issues, but we wanted to hear from them first-hand about how they’re feeling ahead of the election.
So, we hit the streets as part of our April series on politics. Here’s what we asked ‘em, and here’s what they had to say.
Do you care about the upcoming Federal Election?
Among the students we chatted to, the general consensus was pretty mixed.
A few reported feeling a definite disconnect and like their vote didn’t count (which we’ve cleared up here).
22-year-old Lani said she cares to a certain extent and understands how it impacts her life, but isn’t sure about “the explicit information.”
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Adam “100 per cent” cares, and wishes everyone else did too.
“There are a lot of issues that I cared about growing up that I didn't really see represented in Australia,” he said.
Amira, 21, agreed, and said there’s a lot that needs to be brought to light, especially from a student perspective.
Is there a lack of accessible information out there for young people?
When we asked why they felt there was a disconnect with the election, a lot of students felt the information provided to them was biased.
John, 20, said a lot of what he’s seen felt “one-sided.”
“Definitely before the election, I want to do my own research into what the actual policies are,” he said.
Interestingly, a 2019 study found young people are more engaged with following campaigns on socials than their older counterparts.
Ebuka, 20, says a lot of the information he gets is from Instagram, but that it can be a bit of an echo chamber.
“It depends on who you’re following, so I guess that's kind of the reason why I haven't been chasing information as much,” he said.
Adam said the world of politics can feel competitive and intimidating, but it’s important to “put yourselves out there”.
“Whether it's your local volunteering group in your suburb, go do something because that'll help you down the line,” Adam added.
What issues do you care about?
Here’s the thing – even though several students we chatted with didn’t feel super engaged in the election, they could name a stack of issues they cared about.
LGBTQI+, gender equality and environmental policy were among the top mentioned.
Ebuka said climate change was a massive issue, but he felt disheartened because he feels like “no one really wants to do anything about it”.
For Adam, a third generation Palestinian, the way the government aids Palestine is really important to him.
But, the leading issue was the cost of living. For example, Australia’s inflation rate is at 5.1 per cent and neither major party plans to increase the welfare payment amount.
Amira would like more attention paid towards education accessibility and student debt.
For Lani, financial stability, and being able to buy a house was at the forefront of her mind. The average first home buyer deposit sits at around $100k on average.
“With housing schemes and inflation, it's just a bit ridiculous for young people to actually live, let alone thrive,” she said.
As we’ve uncovered in our previous series articles, having young people that look and sound like us at the forefront of campaigns could have the power to shift the gears.
