Generation Z, those aged 10 to 24, make up 18% of all Australians. But, as a sign of the rapid growth of the indigenous population, 30% of the aborigines or islanders of the Torres Strait are generation Z.
Demi Kotsoris, a 27-year-old millennial who visited Bondi on Monday, said her generation would shape jobs over the next few years.
Millennial Demi Kotsoris, who works from her van in Bondi, says her generation is in limbo. Credit: Wolter Peeters
He said his was an internet-modeled limbo generation that was not as married to a work ethic and loyalty as previous generations.
“Much of the education we received taught us about how to succeed in life before the Internet,” he said.
“I definitely ticked all the boxes in life. I did well in school, I went to college, I got a really good job. I was making a lot of money and I was confused why I was so … miserable.
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“I think for our parents’ generation, like when you think of the generation that precedes us, being able to get this job from that degree was enough for them.”
Melbourne Millennials Liana Dowie, Yui Huo, Shaun Ponton, Shelby Hobbs and Josh Segal work in a joint workspace, The Commons, in the city center.
The group said access to information for their generation had allowed them to approach issues differently than their parents.
“We’ve had so much access to what’s happening in the world that we can be more proactive than reactive,” Hobbs, 26, said.
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Ponton said the adoption of individuality was another key difference the group noted between their generation and their parents.
“Younger people who come to power reflect much more of their own personal tastes,” Ponton said. “Even with things like tattoos: 20 years ago, it was a big no-no to have them in the workplace … but now people don’t even think that’s a problem.”
The group also said Millennials prioritized mental health, due to destigmatization and access to mental health services.
“We’re very lucky,” Huo, 25, said. “All my friends are going to see their psychologists to work on it themselves.”
Australia’s total population increased by 2.2 million or 8.6% to 25.5 million between the 2016 and 2021 censuses. The number of Indigenous Australians increased by 25.2% over the same period. up to more than 812,000.
The census also confirmed that Australia is now a majority migrant nation, with 51.5% of all people born abroad or with a father born in another country.
More than 1 million people moved to Australia between 2016 and 2021, although almost 84% of these arrived before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020.
India is becoming a key source nation for the new Australians. The census showed an increase of 220,000 people in the number of people claiming to have been born in India, meaning it surpassed China and New Zealand to be the third country of birth after Australia and England.
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There was also an increase in the number of people outside Nepal, with a population more than doubled between 2016 and 2021.
There are now 5.5 million people who speak a language other than English at home, an increase of almost 800,000 since 2016.
There are 239,000 people who speak Punjabi at home, a jump of 80 percent. The most common non-English language remains Mandarin with 685,274, followed by Arabic with 367,000.
In the first national census of 1911, almost 96 per cent of Australians described themselves as Christians. Now, for the first time, less than half of the population, 43.9%, identifies as Christian, below 52.1% in 2016.
Religious differences are observed between age groups.
About 60 percent of baby boomers declared a Christian religious affiliation compared to 30 percent of millennials. More than 46 percent of millennials said they had no religion compared to 30.7 percent of boomers.
Catholicism is the largest Christian religion with 20% of the population, below 22.6% five years earlier. The proportion identified as Anglicans, who were previously the largest adherents in the country, has fallen to an all-time low of just 9.8% after hitting 13.3% in 2016.
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Nearly two out of five Australians, a record, now say they have no religion. In 2016, the rate was 30.1 percent.
Non-Christian religions are growing, but are still relatively small in total numbers. The increase in Indo-Australians led to a 55% increase in the number of people following Hinduism, but they only represent 2.7% of the population.
There has also been strong growth in Islam, but it accounts for 3.2 per cent of all Australians.
The health needs of the two generations are also very different. About 7.4% of boomers stated that they needed help with basic activities, compared to 2.8% of the younger generations.
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