The Impact of COVID-19 on Young People’s Levels of Subjective Well-being: Evidence from HILDA 2001–2020

Abstract

In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic rolled across the world, young people in Australia faced unprecedented challenges in their daily lives. Although the lockdowns and restrictions implemented to contain the pandemic impacted all Australians, young people were particularly affected. Adolescence is the period when young people develop their own social networks, thus, peer relationships become increasingly more important. During the pandemic, young people were isolated from their friends at school, extra-curricular activities were disrupted and life became increasingly uncertain. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic further complicated an already complex process. This paper examines whether these disruptions influenced levels of subjective well-being of young people aged 15 to 17 years. Drawing on Social Production Function (SPF) theory, analysis of data collected by the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) project is conducted to examine whether levels of subjective well-being of five cohorts of young people aged 15 to 17 years in 2001, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020 varied according to period effects. The findings show that, despite the unprecedented lockdown measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 cohort of young people reported similar levels of subjective well-being as previous cohorts.