Australia | Deep Dive: 2. How We Chill

Education on the effects of alcohol is readily available, whether young people want to hear it or not. So you would assume that most young Aussies think drinking culture is changing for the better — sadly it seems that less than 30% agreed with this statement, with 25% outright disagreeing. Lockout laws that were designed to stem alcohol-fuelled violence have spawned a legitimate political party from a protest movement; so it would be easy to think young people see this as a priority and a battle to be fought.

Drinking and partying are more about release and letting loose. Currently that seems distinctly out of flavour with only 1 in 10 young Aussies spending most of their disposable income on it. We’ve seen their changing attitudes to drinking and this is the consequence.

The quality of their socialising and the experiences they have is important to them. Food and food culture have become a way of expressing identity; fast food or gourmet, organic or raw, the newest and most exotic, or old favourites. Socialising has grown up, it seems.

Young Aussies are more likely to understand the role of food in mind, mood and body. Over half think that what they put in their bodies affects their mental wellbeing, and almost 6 in 10 agree that it affects their physical wellbeing.

So this generation are showing that they have gone back to basics when it comes to spending. They are focusing on price, quality and experience, and placing more importance on life experiences and memories than material possessions.