What 17,000 Australians have to say about money, housing and mental health

How stressed out are we about housing? Are we happy in our long-term relationships? And are we getting smarter?

Every year since 2001, researchers have followed the lives of more than 17,000 people across Australia to answer questions like these.

It's called the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, and data for 2024 has just been released.

Across nearly a quarter of a century, it gives us a window into how Australian life has changed.

Let's take a look at some of the ups and downs.

We'll go one step at a time — just tap "show me another" to see each insight.

New dads are taking (slightly) longer leave

Across two surveys, both mothers and fathers have taken more paid parental leave.

In 2024, women took more than four months on average, while fathers took just four weeks.

It may not look like it in the chart, but the amount of leave men are taking has actually climbed at a faster rate than for women.

The report says the increases could be due to the federal government extending paid parental leave during this period.

Mental health has declined for young women

As part of the survey, participants' self-reported mental health is ranked from 0 to 100, and the results show a startling change over time.

On average, mental health for women across most age groups has declined since 2001, particularly for young women aged between 15 and 24.

Older men report better mental wellness

The trend among men is similar, with younger age groups reporting declining mental health across decades, although levels are overall higher than for women.

But one group, men aged 65 and over, has bucked the general trend and seen an increase in self-reported mental health.

More under-30s are living with their parents

The proportion of young people living with their parents has climbed since the turn of the century.

While the increase is biggest for the 18 to 21-year-olds — lifting to 85 per cent — it also rose for other younger age brackets.

The researchers say most of this growth happened up until the mid-2010s, and has remained fairly stable ever since.

Thinking skills have decreased for the youngest

Survey participants have to do two cognitive tests, called backwards digits span (BDS), which involves reciting back long strings of single-digit numbers, and symbol digits modalities (SDM), where symbols are matched to numbers.

In both tests, average performance has declined for Australians aged between 15 and 24.

But older Australians are showing more brain power

While younger people are faring worse, older Australians are performing better on these tests compared to 2012.

Those aged 45 and older did better on average on both tests across time.

But keep in mind: this chart only displays change within age groups. Overall, the survey shows cognitive ability declines as you get older.

Fewer people are receiving benefits

Across the board, a smaller share of Australians are receiving government income support payments, a broad category which includes the pension, JobSeeker and Youth Allowance.

About 13 per cent of 18- to 64-year-olds received income support, down from 24 per cent in 2001, which researchers attribute to the tightening of eligibility and growth in employment.

Australians aged 65 and over rely more on benefits, given this group encompasses retirees, but that share has also dropped across the survey period.

The education gap is widening

The percentage of people with a university degree has risen across decades, for all ages and genders.

But it has risen much faster for women, with the biggest gender gap emerging in the 35 to 44 age groups.

Men consistently pocket more

Since 2001, average hourly earnings for workers has risen, despite a surge and dip around the COVID-19 pandemic due to changes in working hours.

But the chart indicates the gender pay gap has persisted across the survey period, with women earning less on average.

More Aussies can't put food on the table

In four years, the share of Australians over 15 who experienced food insecurity increased.

More people reported they could not "obtain adequate food" in the last year due to a lack of money.

Older Aussies struggle less with 'problematic' social media use

To determine "problematic" social media use, participants answer questions which capture their preoccupation with and negative emotions when using online platforms.

The percentage of people above the "at-risk" threshold was greatest for teenagers, but steadily declined across older ages.

Single parents are in the most housing stress

A higher proportion of Australians are reporting housing stress, but when you break it down into the type of household, it reveals some are driving the increase more than others.

Housing stress has consistently been higher for single parents with kids, but has also surged for single older men and couples with kids in recent years.

Middle age is roughest patch for relationships

As you age, the data shows that relationship quality increases — but not before it plummets in your 30s and 40s.

Women also consistently report a lower relationship quality than men across their lifetimes.

But it's worth noting that even at the lowest dip for women, the average rating for relationship quality is about a four out of five.