In news that strikes a dagger at the heart of journalists everywhere, just 5% of Year 12’s rated ‘staying informed’ as something that mattered most to them – with recycling 6%) and animal rights (12%) only slightly higher.
UAC continue to dredge data from year 12’s eager to win a place at university or TAFE next year and have released a host of insights into student life in their latest report – including what matters most to students.
Supporting my family (42% of Year 12’s), Affordable housing/rent (33%) and Job Security (29%) were the three things that mattered most to those interviewed.
The survey of more than 16,700 Australian Year 12 students also found that:
- 42% are worried AI will surpass human intelligence
- 79% were intending to pursue tertiary studies. Whether this number is influenced by the willingness of those not intending to study to chat to UAC is unclear.
- Just 2% of students never feel stressed, with the majority feeling stressed for 50% or more of their life
- 61% will tell family and friends after having a bad customer experience (best foot forward on Open Day please team!)
- 18% wanted access to prayer rooms on campus
- 29% of students considered global rankings when choosing their institution (a 3% increase on 2023) – bad news for institutions that have just hit their rankings peak
- 57% consider campus culture and ‘vibe’ when choosing institutions, with courses on offer the most important factor (71%)
- 91% of students try to save money each week, and there is great enthusiasm for bargains/ discounts
- 72% of students rely on social media for news and just 7% read printed newspapers.
- 47% of students exercise 1-2 days or less per week, with walking by far the most popular form of exertion
If you want to know more, don’t ask your call centre to follow up. 2% say they want to be contacted by direct message and just 4% would like to converse with you over the phone. Email is by far the preferred contact method (until they get into uni and suddenly stop reading them).
