Mission Australia's Youth Survey 2021 reveals out of 291 participants aged 15 to 19-years-olds, 48.1 per cent ranked COVID-19 as the highest current issue which needs to be addressed, whilst 34.6 per cent ranked mental health as the highest and 31.2 per cent ranked the environment.

Survey findings also reveal 46.4 per cent of young people surveyed said mental health was a barrier to academic achievement.

The percentage of young people in the Riverina who said they felt lonely all or most of the time (25.2 per cent) was higher than the national average (24.9 per cent).

Coping with stress, mental health and school or study problems were the top three issues of personal concern for young people across NSW.

Mission Australia's Area Manager Megan Boshell said the findings shed light on how young people are coping with the pandemic.

"Listening to and acting on their detailed insights is vital as we round out our second year of COVID-19 pandemic," she said.

"Now is a critical time to make sure young people are heard.

IN OTHER NEWS:

"Without the right supports and policy settings in place, there is a real concern the pandemic will have long-term impacts."

Riverina youth have put the environment as the number one national issue and just under one quarter of Riverina youth are extremely concerned about climate change

Ms Boshell said survey figures together with survey respondent comments show climate change is taking a psychological toll on young people across Australia.

"Concerns about the lack of action on climate change in Australia during the past several years has affected the mental health of young people," she said.

"We should all be concerned about the impacts of this on young people, who are tomorrow's workers, parents and carers."

More than half of the young people across the Riverina indicated overall happiness with their lives.

"But we know that more must be done to ensure young people have ample opportunities to access education, employment and services when they need them, particularly as we move toward pandemic recovery and a 'COVID-normal' existence," Ms Boshell said.

The results of the Youth Survey are shared with governments, non-government organisations, schools and the media to inform the debate around the circumstances of young people in Australia and to support the development of policies, services and programs that have the needs of young people at their core.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: