Our impact
Our study and the findings are making a real-life impact to help inform policy and improve the lives of children and young people both in Australia and overseas.
Policy
Findings from Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) have already helped to make some important changes in recent years including:
- The introduction of Australia's first Paid Parental Leave Scheme.
- Changes to the Family Law system, including better protections for children at risk of child abuse and family violence.
- The Department of Education’s previous funding arrangements which ensured that every child has access to early-childhood education.
Important discoveries
LSAC study participants have helped us to make some important discoveries that will inform public policy and improve the lives of all Australians and their families.
See some of our recent discoveries in the following research snapshots.
Increased frequency of social networking sites use was associated with a greater risk of elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety.
See the Adolsecents online snapshot.
Having a close relationship with a parent is protective against self-injuring.
See the Self-injury among adolescents snapshot.
Discrimination is common among Australian teens.
See the Teenagers’ experiences of discrimination snapshot.
Research in journal articles
Data from Growing Up in Australia is widely used in academic research and has been published in journal articles in Australia and internationally.
See our research findings.
Media
Findings from Growing Up in Australia regularly appear on the TV and radio news, and in shows such as The Project.
The ABC made a landmark documentary called the Life at… series (Life at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9), which was based on the findings from Growing Up in Australia.
The last instalment of the Life at… series continued the ordinary and extraordinary life journey of eight Australian children as they learned to deal with life's hurdles and challenges at the pivotal age of 9. The two episodes for Life at 9 focussed on children's creativity and emerging independence.
Overseas studies
Growing Up in Australia has been such a success that it has inspired other 'Growing Up’ studies including:
- Growing Up in New Zealand – This study includes more than 6,000 New Zealand children and their families. It has been following the lives of these children since 2009 and 2010, collecting data from families before their children were born.
- Growing Up in Scotland – This study started in 2005 with 2 cohorts – a ‘Birth’ cohort and a ‘Child’ cohort. The Birth cohort consists of around 5,000 children born in 2004-5. The Child cohort consists of around 3,000 children who were born in 2002-3. There is now also a second Birth cohort of children born in 2010-11.
- Growing Up in Ireland – This study has 2 cohorts – a 'Birth’ cohort of 11,000 children who were less than 1 year old in 2008 (Wave 1), and a ‘Child’ cohort of 8,500 children who were 9 years old in Wave 1.
Conference abstracts
See program abstracts from the National Library.