1. Confiding in Friends

School students in Years 4-12 in South Australia reported the quality of social support from peers using a low, medium, and high wellbeing scale, based on having friends they can confide in, talk to when upset, or who understand them.

Proportion of Year 4-12 student responses (2024)

Proportion of Years 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 student responses (2024)

Results indicate that students in Years 4-6 tend to report stronger social support from peers compared with students in other year levels.

Proportion of students reporting ‘High’ confiding in friends

Results indicate that the proportion remains relatively stable across the six-year period, fluctuating within a narrow range of 67% to 70%.

Government school students with disability

This chart compares government school students with and without disability in how connected they feel to their peers.

Overall, 62% of students with disability in Years 4-12 reported a high level of connection to friends, compared with 69% of students without disability.

Data Source: Wellbeing and Engagement Collection, Australia

1. Confiding in Friends

Aboriginal government school students in Years 4-12 in South Australia reported the quality of social support from peers using a low, medium, and high wellbeing scale, based on having friends they can confide in, talk to when upset, or who understand them.

Proportion of Year 4-12 student responses (2024)

Proportion of Years 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 student responses (2024)

Results indicate that students in Years 4-6 tend to report stronger social support from peers compared with students in other year levels.

Proportion of students reporting ‘High’ confiding in friends

This chart shows trends in the proportion of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal government school students in South Australia who responded “High” for confiding in friends over six years.

Results indicate that:

• both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students show relatively stable levels of responding ‘High’ in confiding in friends from 2019 to 2024.
• the proportion of Aboriginal students reporting ‘High’ wellbeing remains around 65-67%, while the proportion for non-Aboriginal students is slightly higher, at approximately 67-70%.
• the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students remains consistent at around 3-4 percentage points over this period.

Data Source: Wellbeing and Engagement Collection, Australia

Background:

Having someone to ask for support reflects if students feel they can turn to others when they need help. One aspect of this Measure is ‘confiding in friends’, which captures student responses to a Wellbeing and Engagement Collection question about having at least one close friend to talk to when something is bothering them, a friend they can tell everything to, and someone their own age who really understands them. School students in Years 4-12 in South Australia indicated their level of confiding in friends using a high, medium, and low wellbeing scale.

Rationale:

It is important to collect this data as access to trusted support is a key determinant of children and young people’s social and emotional wellbeing. Having at least one person to confide in is associated with improved mental health outcomes, increased resilience, and better capacity to cope with stress and challenges.

Measuring whether students have someone they can turn to for support provides insight into the strength and availability of informal support networks within school environments. This information can guide the development of policies and interventions aimed at strengthening student wellbeing, enhancing early support mechanisms, and ensuring that schools are environments where students feel safe, supported, and able to seek help when needed.

The council is in the process of sourcing this dataset.

Background:

Cultural activities provide important opportunities for children and young people to connect with others. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) definitions of cultural activities include participation in drama, singing, playing a musical instrument, dancing, art and craft, creative writing and creating digital content.

The data presented is derived from the Multipurpose Household Survey (MPHS), a sample survey of private dwellings conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Weighted count represents the estimate for the whole population, not just the number of survey records. In ABS microdata, each record has a weight that represents how many people (or children) in the population that record stands for. Using the weighted count ensures results reflect the actual population size, not just the sample.

Rationale:

Cultural activities in the areas of art, ethnicity, food, language, music, nationality, and religion can affect development including cognitive, emotional, social, physical, and language development.

In 2021-22, children and young people in SA (5-14 years) reported their attendance for the 12-month period prior to being surveyed as follows:
• 84.5% of children and young people attended at least one cultural venue or event (80.1% nationally).

Data Source: Cultural and creative activities, ABS

The council is in the process of sourcing this dataset.

Cultural events provide important opportunities for children and young people to connect with others. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) definitions of:
• cultural events include attending libraries and archives, art galleries, museums, cinemas, live music concerts, theatre, dance and other performing arts.

School students in Years 4-12 in South Australia reported their sense of connection to adults at school through the following:

1. Important adult at school (2024)

2. Connectedness to school (2024)

3. Emotional engagement with teachers (2024)

Trends in ‘High’ Emotional Engagement with teachers

This chart shows trends in the proportion of school students in South Australia, reporting a “High” level of emotional engagement with teachers over six years.

Results indicate that:

• the proportion of students who reported a ‘High’ level of emotional engagement with teachers declined modestly overall between 2019 and 2024

• the decline was gradual, with relatively small year-to-year changes, suggesting a slight weakening in students perceived emotional connection with teachers over time

• a noticeable dip occurred in 2023, followed by a slight increase in 2024.

Data Source: Wellbeing and Engagement Collection, Australia

Aboriginal government school students in Years 4-12 in South Australia reported their sense of connection to adults at school through the following:

1. Important adult at school (2024)

2. Connectedness to school (2024)

3. Emotional engagement with teachers (2024)

These results highlight that students in Year 4-6 feel more connected to adults at school compared with those in Years 7-12, which influences the overall percentage.

Trends in ‘High’ Emotional Engagement with teachers

This chart shows trends in the proportion of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal government school students in South Australia, reporting “High” wellbeing over six years.

Results indicate that:

• the proportion of students who responded ‘High’ to having emotional engagement with teachers declined overall between 2019 and 2024 for both Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal government school students.
• among Aboriginal children and young people, responses indicating a ‘High’ level were relatively stable between 2019 and 2021 at around 66-67%. In 2022, this proportion declined to approximately 65%, reaching its lowest point in 2023 at 61%. In 2024, levels remained low at 61%, well below pre-2022 levels.
• both groups show a similar pattern over time, with trends moving in the same direction.

Data Source: Wellbeing and Engagement Collection, Australia

Background:

Students feeling connected to adults in their school is captured by assessing whether they have an important adult at school. Levels of wellbeing are represented on a low, medium, and high scale based on students’ perceptions that teachers care about them, listen to them, believe in their success, all of which contribute to ‘connectedness to school’. ‘Emotional engagement with teachers’ includes teachers showing interest in students’ wellbeing, listening to what students have to say, providing extra help when needed, and treating students fairly.

Rationale:

This is a critical measure because children and young people need care and support from adults at home, at school, and in their communities. Positive relationships help them feel connected, build resilience, reduce engagement in risky behaviours, and prepare for a successful transition into adulthood.