Young People Aren't All Totally into 'Stuff'

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Combined youth spending power in the 11 major economies, including Australia, exceeds a massive US$750 billion dollars per year. But recent national research shows that against a constant marketing onslaught, young people are beginning to show signs of consumer leadership. They seem to be becoming more aware of being a key part of the solution to over-consumption and its impact on global resources and are thinking about more sustainable ways of living.

With growing concern about consumption patterns in Australia, social researchers, such as Clive Hamilton and Hugh Mackay, are highlighting how over-consumption contributes to problems that not only affect our everyday lives, but impact on the entire globe.

On behalf of National Youth Affairs Research Scheme (NYARS)(1), and supported by Griffith University, the International Young Professional's Foundation (IYPF) (2), undertook new research into the influences on young Australian's consumption patterns and asked how young people can be supported to lead their communities towards more sustainable consumption patterns. The results are reported in Sustainable Consumption: Young Australians as Agents of Change.

Young Australians represent a …