News
The voice of Aussie youth
Young Australians support gay marriages, believe that the government is not doing enough to aid climate change and want condom vending machines put in schools, says a new teen survey
These are just some of the findings from the Australian Democrats Youth Poll 2006, which quizzed 1,000 people aged between 15 and 20 on a number of different topics.
Almost 60 per cent of those polled support gay marriages, while a whopping 82 per cent think that the Australian government is not doing enough on climate change. And 70 per cent now want condom machines inserted in school toilets – up 9 per cent from last year's survey.
The 2006 poll has also revealed that more young Australians want a say on their country's political situation. Support to lower the voting age from 18 to 16 increased by 7 per cent over the last year, with 32 per cent saying the time had come to lower the restriction. However, the survey also revealed a worrying trend in Oz teenagers' smoking and drug taking habits.
The number of respondents who smoke regularly rose from 13 per cent last year to 18 per cent this year, while almost 40 per cent admitted trying marijuana and 17 per cent hallucinogens such as ecstasy or speed, both up 7 per cent from last year. This is the 14th year the survey has been conducted. It was originally set up by Democrat Senator Natasha Scott Despoja in 1992.
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20 December 2006