GENERATION Survey
Research areas
Attitudes +
Values
Education +
Knowledge
Policy +
Politics
Project status
GENERATION is a national study that reflects what young Australians are doing and thinking – at school, at work, and beyond. This is the fifth wave, and fifth year, of the study, which began in 2022 with Year 10 students The study is anticipated to run for 10 years in total.
The GENERATION survey is voluntary and takes about 30 minutes to complete. Participants will receive a $30 electronic gift card as a thank you for their time.
Partner
GENERATION is being undertaken by researchers from the Australian National University (ANU), the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Social Research Centre (SRC). The Centre for Social Research and Methods at the ANU is leading the research.
The research has been commissioned by the Australian Department of Education.
Aims + Outcomes
Results from GENERATION help build a clearer picture of what it’s like to be a young person in Australia today. By participating you contribute to a strong evidence base that helps researchers and policy makers drive important changes to better support and improve services for young people like you.
Methods
Participants will be contacted via email and/or SMS with a link to complete the survey online. People who have not been able to complete the survey online may be followed up via phone.
Insights
94%
of participants in Wave 4 of GENERATION reported having at least one friend and reported making a new friend in at least one setting in 2025. Almost two thirds of people (63%) made friends through study.
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81%
of participants were engaged in at least one education or training activity in 2025. Also reported was a focus on health and wellbeing, performance and creative arts, business, community work, internships, non-professional sport and applying for jobs.
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23%
of participants reported they would do a vocational job-related course rather an than an academic course. While 40% planned to take a course with lower fees and 54% planned to take a course where a scholarship or financial assistance was available.
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Impact
ACER
New generation survey Australian career pathways
Have you been contacted to participate?
Who participates?
Participants are invited to the survey because they either previously participated in GENERATION 2022 and agreed to be re-contacted for further involvement in the study or agreed to be invited to the study when completing their 2025 or 2026 Student Experience Survey. Contact details were provided by participants when agreeing to be re-contacted for this research.
What are the benefits?
Participants will receive a $30 electronic gift card as a thank you for their time. This will be sent via email upon completion of the survey. Participants will also receive an individualised report presenting insights from the GENERATION survey.
How does it work?
GENERATION 2026 will be conducted from September. If you are eligible to participate, we will send unique login details via email. If you provided a mobile number, you will also receive an SMS with a link to complete the survey online. We may follow up by ringing people who have not been able to complete the online survey.
If you received an email, you can complete the survey by simply clicking the ‘take survey’ button in your email. If you receive an SMS, you can click the link provided to complete.
Resources
The Social Research Centre complies with the Australian Privacy Principles. All personal contact information such as name, email and phone number is removed from the final data. Your responses will be de-identified, held in the strictest confidence and will not be disclosed to other organisations for marketing or research purposes. The responses of everyone who participates in this survey will be combined for analysis.
If you have participated in GENERATION previously and would like further information, please go here. If you have been invited to participate in GENERATION upon completion of your 2025 Student Experience Survey and would like further information, please go here.
How do we ensure privacy is protected?
The Social Research Centre complies with the Australian Privacy Principles. All personal contact information such as name, email and phone number is removed from the final data. Your responses will be de-identified, held in the strictest confidence and will not be disclosed to other organisations for marketing or research purposes. The responses of everyone who participates in this survey will be combined for analysis. Please see the SRC’s Privacy Policy.
Get in touch
For more information about the survey, please visit the GENERATION project website generationsurvey.net
Survey questions
If you have any other questions about the survey, you can also contact the GENERATION helpdesk on 1800 122 789 or by emailing generation@srcentre.com.au
FAQs
Why do you need to hear from me?
GENERATION is a chance to share your unique story – what you care about, what you’re interested in, and what you hope for in the future. Your experiences, whether at school, work or wherever life has taken you, helps to build a clearer understanding of what young Australians truly need. When you take part, you contribute to a strong evidence base that helps researchers and policy makers drive important changes to better support and improve services for young people like you.
Will my answers be confidential?
In collecting your personal information within this research, the ANU, ACER and SRC must comply with the Privacy Act 1988. Your answers will be held in the strictest confidence and under the Privacy Act all information provided will only be used for research purposes. Survey results will be used in reports, publications and on the GENERATION website. Individual students or schools will not be identified in reports available to the public.
For further information, please view the links below.
Are there any risks from taking part?
We do not anticipate any risks to taking part in the survey. You only need to answer questions if you feel comfortable and safe to do so.
What if I have concerns about the ethical conduct of the survey?
The ethical aspects of this research have been approved by the Australian National University Human Research Ethics Committee protocol number H/2026/0221 – GENERATION Waves 5 to 7. If you have any concerns or complaints about how this research has been conducted, please contact:
Ethics Manager
The ANU Human Research Ethics Committee
The Australian National University
Telephone: +61 2 6125 3427
Email: Human.Ethics.Officer@anu.edu.au
General FAQs
