The Social Futures and Life Pathways of Young People in Queensland project is an ongoing longitudinal study of young people from Queensland, Australia, which is following a single aged cohort of young Australians as they progress from adolescence into adulthood. More commonly known as Our Lives, this ARC-funded project commenced in 2006 when the cohort members were 12/13 years old and were in their first year of secondary school.
By tracking this cohort over time, the project assesses the impact of social, political and economic developments on educational, workforce, partnering, family and housing transitions in early adulthood. It enhances scholarly understanding and public policy formation in these domains by monitoring stability and change in the values, aspirations, health and well-being of young people as these transitions take place.
To date, six waves of quantitative data collection have been completed with the most recent being carried out in 2017 when the participants were aged 23/25 (n = 2030). Wave 7 will be undertaken in 2019.
The Our Lives project also has a strong qualitative agenda. Since 2009, over 200 interviews have been conducted with 170 cohort members. Topics have included future aspirations (careers, partnering and family formation), internet use, housing pathways, and politics.
Further information regarding methodology, research publications, and access to data can be found on the Our Lives website. The project team includes SOCEY community member Dr Jacqueline Laughland-Booÿ (ACU).
Some of the material and data from the project is available via either open or mediated access on the dedicated Our Lives Dataverse hosted by the ADA. The Our Lives: Asylum Seekers section of the project is also available through the SOCEY Repository. Click on the buttons below to access the datasets.