Stark divide between Millennials, Gen Z and older generations regarding Australia's future
New research from global professional services company GHD reveals a stark contrast between younger and older Australians in levels of optimism about the future, suggesting we need to explore alternate leadership models and better engage today’s youth in community-shaping decisions.
GHD’s CROSSROADS intergenerational equity research was based on a comprehensive survey conducted across ten countries: Australia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, the Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. A total of 13,000 adults, sampled to be representative of age, gender and region in these countries, participated in the survey in mid-May 2024.
Asked to look 30 years into the future and consider “…whether the decisions being made by the current generation of leaders will leave your community in a better or worse state than it is today,” Gen Z and Millennials respondents are nearly twice as optimistic as older generations. 42% of Gen Z and 36% of Millennials agree the state of their community would be much better or a little better, compared to just 19% for Gen X and 27% for Baby Boomers.
According to GHD Future Communities Leader, Michelle Cramer, the findings highlight the importance of engaging today’s youth as much as possible to help shape the world of tomorrow.
Incorporating youth in decision-making processes is essential for creating inclusive, innovative, and forward-looking policies that help shape a sustainable, prosperous future. This is a key part of responding to the question, ‘How can we be good ancestors?’ Intergenerational equity is about achieving fairness and justice across all generations, both now and in the future.
Clearly, young people are the ones who will live the longest with the consequences of today’s decisions, but just as importantly, they bring new ideas, innovative solutions and a different perspective on problems. Their familiarity with technology and contemporary issues can lead to creative approaches that older generations might not consider.
Another benefit is decision ownership. By involving young people in decision-making, they are much more likely to feel invested in their communities, leading to greater civic participation and responsibility. It also fosters their development as future leaders, equipped with the experience and knowledge to navigate complex future challenges. And given our ageing population, it’s even more important that we look for opportunities to engage the younger generation now.”
GHD’s research also reveals that Australians of all ages perceive affordable housing as the country’s number one priority. 63% of Australians surveyed agree there is a need for more varied, cheaper housing options, and alarmingly, more than 60% of respondents believe we are heading off track in solving the housing affordability crisis.
Other common areas of concern include the cost of living and the accessibility and reliability of transportation, while only 44% of Australians believe they have experienced climate change effects, such as extreme weather events, compared to a global average of 64%.
“What we’re seeing is the extreme impact of rapid inflation and cost of living pressures in the post-pandemic years on people’s outlook and priorities,” says Michelle. “Despite the prevalence of extreme weather events such as widespread flooding in recent years, financial pressures are now the dominant concern throughout our society across all generations.”
CROSSROADS is a thought-provoking exploration of intergenerational equity, through an infrastructure lens. By overlaying community sentiment with GHD’s technical insights, the report is intended to spark an informed discussion of what can be done today to support the delivery of fair and fit-for-purpose infrastructure for tomorrow.
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About GHD
GHD is a leading professional services company operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. Committed to a vision to make water, energy, and communities sustainable for generations to come, GHD delivers advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction solutions to public and private sector clients. Established in 1928 and privately owned by its people, GHD’s network of 11,000+ professionals are connected across 160 offices located on five continents.