Youth Section

Frequently Asked Questions

What's happening with the study this year?

In 2008 the Victorian arm of the IYDS has received funding from the Australian Research Council to continue surveying the youngest group of students in our study in 2008 and in 2010. We look forward to coming out to survey these students at their schools this year.

How many young people are participating in the study?

2884 in Australia
2885 in the US

How was I chosen to participate?

In 2002, we randomly chose about 150 schools in each state Victoria, Australia, and Washington, USA and your school was among those chosen. Once your school agreed to participate, we randomly selected one class in your grade/year level, and again, your class was selected! All of the students in your class who returned a signed consent form from their parents became our study participants.

How many years will this project continue?

Currently, we have funding to survey the youngest group of Australian students (in Year 11 this year) in 2008 and 2010. Both the US and Australian team hope to receive future funding to continue to follow all of our participants. The longer the project is, the more useful it becomes.

When will I take the survey again?

We are planning to survey students in our youngest cohort this year, who are in Year 11 in 2008. We hope to continue to follow all of the young people in our study as they progress through high school and into adulthood.

Who conducts the surveys?

The surveys are conducted by teams of interviewers from the Social Development Research Group in Seattle, USA and the Centre for Adolescent Health in Melbourne, Australia.

Am I still in the study if I move, change schools or leave school?

Yes, absolutely! In fact, many of you have changed schools or moved already. Some have even moved out of the state or out of the country. We are interested in talking with you no matter where you move or what school you are attending. The study will follow you as an individual. It’s important that we talk to all of the same participants year after year to see how your experiences and attitudes change over time. If you have moved or are planning to move in the near future, please let us know!

US:iyds@u.washington.edu AUS:internationalyouth.developmentstudy@rch.org.au

How will I do my survey if I move far away?

You might be surprised how far we will travel to meet you to do your survey! In most cases, if you are still living in Victoria or Washington State, we will meet you at your school to conduct the survey. If you are living outside of the state or country, we will most likely call you to do your survey over the telephone.

Are my answers kept private?

YES. No one but the researchers on this study will ever see your answers to questions in your survey booklet. All of the surveys have a code number on them to track them instead of your name. When we report on results for the study, we will only report on how many students gave particular answers to questions (like an opinion poll). You can be confident that no individual schools or participants are identified.

Can I talk to someone on the project if I have questions?

YES. You can always ask any questions of the interviewer that comes to conduct your survey, or you can get in touch with the Project Manager by phone or email. Please go to the ‘Contact Us’ tab on this website for details or click here to email.

AUS: Rachel Smith rachel.smith@mcri.edu.au

Why do you ask the some of the same questions each year?

This is so we can see how behaviour and attitudes change over a period of time, and what social and other factors influence these changes.

How am I helping other young people like me?

We communicate really closely with people who decide what kind of resources young people need today, and develop programs that promote the positive development of young people. Doing the survey is your chance to let adults know what you need, and what is important to you.

Why do you ask personal questions?

Some of the questions we are asking are very personal, but it is important that we get a really good picture of what it is like to be a young person today. We can guarantee you that all of your individual answers remain private and confidential.

How come lots of the questions don’t seem to apply to me and my life?

The International Youth Development Study participants have a wide range of ages. In the first year of the project, students ranged from Grade 5 to Year 9. Also, there are so many different things that young people are involved in today. We are trying to capture as many of these things as possible to get the best picture we can of what it’s like for you to be growing up in Australia or the US. This means that some of the topics will relate to you and others won't. The tough part is that we don’t know this until we ask you!

Survey Comments - What you thought of the survey

We always read the feedback that you provide to us, and listen to your suggestions. The comments below are summaries of all the feedback you have given us. You can trust that we keep all of your comments and information confidential.

"This survey was interesting and I hope to do it again next year!"		"I think the information will help you learn more about kids today. Thankyou"
	"It made me think more about my life, and the things I do"
"Some of the questions were repetitive and boring"		"Some of the questions were too personal"

Last Updated 07-May-2008. Authorised by: Sheryl Hemphill. Enquiries: Charmaine Sambathkumar.