News release

From: Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS)

Trust in institutions shaping young Australians' plans to have children

Most young Australians hope to have children one day, but their family plans are being shaped by deeper concerns about the future – particularly trust in public institutions and concern about economic and environmental issues – according to the latest report from the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS).

Drawing on data from Growing Up in Australia – the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), the research shows around 7 in 10 young people (71%) aged 19–20 and 23–24 years hope to have children. A notable minority either do not want children (17%) or have not yet considered it (13%).

The findings point to trust in institutions as a key factor shaping young Australians’ family formation goals. Almost 79% of young people with higher trust in institutions – including hospitals, police, education, legal and social welfare systems – hoped to have children, compared with 59% of those with lower trust.

Kirsten Campbell, LSAC Head at AIFS, said the findings show young people’s family aspirations are closely linked to how confident they feel about the future.

“Most young people still imagine a future that includes family, but their decisions are influenced by whether they feel institutions can be trusted to deliver a safe, fair and sustainable future,” Kirsten Campbell said.

Concern about the future environment was also widespread, with 65% of young people at least somewhat concerned. Among those most concerned about environmental issues, 67% want children at some point in the future, compared to 75% of those least concerned.

Economic pressures were also evident. Among young people most worried about the global economy, or finding work, nearly one in five (19%) did not expect to have children – an association that was particularly pronounced for young women.

Concerns about housing affordability were widespread (85%), irrespective of young people’s plans to have children. This highlights the importance of improving access to secure, affordable housing as part of collective efforts to strengthen young people’s confidence in the future.

AIFS Director Liz Neville said the findings highlight the role institutions play in shaping young people’s confidence about the future, and the social compact between families and the systems that serve them.

“For young people to feel confident about raising children, they need to trust that key institutions – such as health services, child care, schools and the justice system – can be relied on to support them in an uncertain future,” Liz Neville said.

“That confidence is also shaped by the overall conditions young people are navigating, including access to stable work and the strength of the economy. Together, these factors influence whether young people feel supported to plan for the future, including starting a family.”

The report also highlights distinct experiences for trans and gender diverse young people, who were more likely to say they did not hope to have children (32%) or had not considered it (33%). This group also reported substantially lower trust in institutions (41%) compared with cisgender young men (72%) and young women (69%).

“For trans and gender diverse young people, lower institutional trust may stem from a wide range of experiences, with discrimination and exclusion from systems like health care, legal recognition and family related services forming part of a much more complex picture,” Kirsten Campbell said.

The report suggests that supporting young people to achieve their family goals may require more than economic policy alone, including attention to social trust and inclusion as well as climate action, and the broader conditions that shape confidence in the future.