A survey of the nation's young people has revealed that Wagga faces significant barriers to achieving academically and obtaining employment.
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Commissioned by Mission Australia as part of its annual youth survey, this year up to 444 local young people aged between 15 and 19 contributed to the responses.
Up to 90.5 per cent of local respondents indicated that at the time of completing the survey, they were studying full-time.
Up to 2.3 per cent indicated they were studying part-time, while 7.2 per cent were not studying at all.
Of those who were still at school, 90.6 per cent planned to complete year 12, which sits comfortably with the state average of 94 per cent.
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More than half of respondents who were still in high school indicated that they had intentions to attend university.
The local average of 59.4 per cent, however, sitting below the statewide response of 64.8 per cent.
Worryingly, almost half of those surveyed believed they would face significant barriers to achieving their academic goals.
The biggest barriers to achieving academic success identified by local students were academic ability, mental health and living location.
The survey also identified that the Riverina's student population are at greater risk of experiencing bullying that their statewide counterparts.
One-in-four in the Riverina reported experiencing significant bullying in the past 12 months. The local result of 24.3 per cent sitting slightly above the state average of 21.2 per cent.
Additionally, when asked whether they had witnessed episodes of bullying around them in the past 12 months, more than half of the local responses returned positive.
Across the state, instances of bullying were identified by 49 per cent of respondents.
Consequently, in identifying the five top issues facing themselves and their peers this year, the Riverina's youth listed mental health, the environment, substance issues, discrimination and financial matters.
About the survey
Majority of the respondents from the Riverina were female, with 43.5 per cent of responses coming from males.
Meanwhile, of the 25,126 young people who took part nationwide, 6,576 were in NSW.
In the local area, 7.7 per cent identified as Aboriginal or Torress Strait Islander, which was on par with the state average of 9.1 per cent.
Additionally, in the Riverina 4.8 per cent were born overseas, compared to the 8.6 per cent statewide. Up to nine per cent of the Riverina's respondents speak another language at home, which sits at half the state's average of 18.2 per cent.
On par with the state, a total of 5.2 per cent in the Riverina indicated that they are living with a disability. The state total was 6.1 per cent.