Studies show that when young people feel socially supported, it can contribute to better mental health, self-image, and quality of life (Alsarrani et al., 2022; Schwartz-Mette et al., 2020). In addition, when people have social supports in place, they tend to seek more assistance when they need it and take proactive steps to protect their mental health (Mitchell et al., 2025). Importantly, the benefits of social supports are long-term, continuing to positively influence social and emotional wellbeing in adulthood (Jakobsen et al., 2021; Shah et al., 2024).
GENERATION is a longitudinal study which has surveyed young Australians since 2022. In 2025, GENERATION participants were asked about their social support networks. By this point, the majority of participants were aged 18-19 years and most were in their first year of post-school study, training or work. This data story reports on their survey responses, revealing that participants in GENERATION generally have social supports that they can rely on during late adolescence.
Percentage of participants reporting 3-5 friends in 2025.
Percentage of participants who made at least one new friend in 2025.
Percentage of participants not studying who made a new friend at work since finishing school.
Percentage-point increase in the number of participants who agreed that they can get practical help from others if they need it, between Wave 1 and Wave 4.
In Wave 4 of GENERATION, the majority of participants (94%) reported having at least one friend. The above graph shows that the most common number of friends was between 3-5 (36%), followed by 6-10 (25%), more than 10 (20%) and 1-2 (14%). In addition, 2% of Wave 4 participants reported that they have no friends at the moment.
When analysed by gender and study status (not pictured), the most common number of friends remained the same (between 3 and 5). A higher percentage of males reported larger friendship circles (more than 10 friends), when compared to females and people who identify as non-binary or another gender (25% compared to 18% and 20%). Meanwhile, VET/TAFE students and those not currently involved in study tended to report smaller friendship circles (1-2 friends) when compared to university students (19% and 17% compared to 12%). However, these differences were not very large and overall, numbers of friends were relatively similar across gender and study status.
These findings are consistent with data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, which found that most Australians aged 15-24 report having friends and socialising regularly (Laß et al., 2025).
83% of the GENERATION sample reported making a new friend in at least one setting in 2025. The above graph shows that almost two thirds of people (63%) made friends through study (including university or a higher education institution, TAFE, apprenticeships or traineeships). This was more common amongst university/higher education students (82%) compared to VET/TAFE students (58%) and people not in study (6%) (who may have met people in study settings through mutual friends, or may have left their study environment before completing the survey).
Making friends at work was more common amongst those not in study (55%) and VET/TAFE students (48%) than for university/higher education students (43%). A higher percentage of people not in study (19%) and VET/TAFE students (11%) also reported making no new friends in 2025, when compared to university students (8%). This suggests that study environments provide an important setting for forming new connections among university/higher education students, while people not studying tend to make new friends at work.
In addition to work and employment, social environments were also a common way to make friends. Overall, 43% of the sample reported making new friends through social activities. Similar rates were seen for those studying and not studying.
In both Wave 1 (2022) and Wave 4 (2025) of the GENERATION study, participants were asked how much they agreed with three statements: (1) "I have family who help me feel safe, secure and happy" (2) "There is someone I can trust whom I would turn to for advice if I were having problems" and (3) "I can get practical help from others if I need it".
The above graph shows the percentage of participants who responded 'Very True' to these three statements. It reveals that perceived social support increased from Waves 1-4. Specifically, it increased by 11 percentage-points for the first statement, 13 for the second statement, and 19 for the final statement. This suggests that participants reported higher levels of perceived social support at ages 18–19 than they did in Year 10, supporting previous research which finds that feelings of social support increase as young people transition into adulthood and begin to expand their social circles (Seok & Doom, 2022; Galambos et al., 2018).
In summary, most participants reported having friends and feeling socially supported at Wave 4 of the GENERATION survey. Young people were also beginning to make new friends at this point in their life, whether that was through study, work or social activities. These are positive findings which suggest that young Australians have strong social foundations which can support their wellbeing during their transition to adulthood.