From April 11th – 24th Youthline ran a survey about COVID-19. The results have now been gathered and show, 975 young people and families reporting on how they are doing and what would be helpful for them.

The Summary of their findings were:

• Overwhelmingly, respondents told us the overall impact of COVID-19 and the Lockdown on their life was negative. 58.6% of response said it has had a negative impact on their life. Of note, young people under 25 were more likely to say it has had a negative impact on their life.
• Despite this, most respondents were able to identify positive impacts COVID-19 and the Lockdown has had on their life, including important protective factors, like connecting with important people and self-care activities.
• The mental health of young people is a key concern for Youthline during this time. In the open-ended questions 24% of young people who responded named mental health issues as a negative impact of the Lockdown (feeling anxious, depressed and coping poorly). Simultaneously, they are feeling isolated and are missing face-to-face
  contact. For young people, mental, emotional and social concerns outweigh the material concerns of financial hardship at this time – this was reflected in the quant and qual responses.
• 72.7% of all respondents agreed that COVID-19 and the Lockdown has had an impact on their mental health. Young people under 25 were more likely to agree with this statement than older age groups.

The report for the results can be found here: https://www.youthline.co.nz/uploads/2/9/8/1/29818351/youthline_covid-19_research.final.pdf