Class and inequality in Australia

Making a Difference: Building on Young People’s Experiences of Economic Adversity (Skattebol et al. 2012) is a study of how children and young people from disadvantaged families experience economic hardship and what this means in their families, at school and in the communities in which they live. The study documents the experiences and perceptions of 96 young people in New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria. The research shows that the participants in the study regularly miss out on things that their peers do not, that doing without affects their relationships with their friends, as well as in their schools and communities, and that they respond to economic hardship in various ways, including narrowing their hopes and ambitions to protect themselves and their families