Australians overwhelmingly see the cost of living as a key driver of worsening youth mental health, with new polling from Orygen showing financial pressure is harming wellbeing and preventing young people from accessing support.
Orygen recently undertook a poll of 1,124 Australians aged 16 years and over to better understand whether key aspects of life for young people such as their ability to afford things had improved, worsened, or stayed the same compared with two years ago.
A massive 64% of Australians say young people’s ability to afford things has become worse, and just 15% believe affordability has improved, while 19% think it has stayed the same.
This research was conducted by the independent research company YouGov on behalf of Orygen between 16-19 February, 2026.
Australians also see cost of living as a central reason for the decline in young people’s mental health.
When respondents were asked to rank 11 possible causes of deteriorating youth mental health:
- A majority of Australians (55%) rank cost of living among the top three drivers of deteriorating youth mental health, making it the most frequently cited factor overall, narrowly behind social media and technology as the most commonly selected single top-ranked cause.
- Among young people aged 16–24, ‘cost of living’ was the most commonly top‑ranked cause, ahead of social media and technology, unaffordable housing, and job prospects.
The polling reaffirms that financial stress is a core mental health issue, not just an economic one.
Cost of living pressures also stop young people from accessing mental health support. When Australians were asked about barriers to young people getting mental health care, more than half (57%) identified cost as a barrier to accessing support, making it the second most commonly cited answer, just behind shame, stigma or embarrassment (63%).
Young people are more likely to be in insecure work, earning lower wages, paying rising rents, and lacking financial buffers. This polling recognises that these pressures are no longer short-term or peripheral – they are shaping young people’s lives, mental health and future prospects.