Growing Up in New Zealand is today releasing new findings from the ongoing longitudinal study of young New Zealanders.
“Now We Are Twelve” focuses on the lived experience of 12-year-olds and their families, covering topics identified as key to the ongoing wellbeing and improvement of life here in Aotearoa such as: material wellbeing and identity (ethnic and gender) (please see attached media releases).
Around 4,500 young people and their families contributed to “Now We Are Twelve”, encompassing a diverse group with a variety of experiences. The study has been following the lives of these children since before they were born including at significant milestones.
The findings are being released as a series of nine snapshots, covering nine topics developed by researchers alongside key Government departments to respond to current policy priorities for children and young people.
The topics to be covered are:
Ethnic and gender identity (published today – see more info below)
Material Wellbeing (published today – see more info below)
Housing and homelessness
Food security
COVID-19 impact on child and whānau wellbeing
Mental health
School engagement
Disability
Relationships
These will be released between early April and end of June for use by researchers and decision makers and for anyone wanting to improve the lives of and understand the needs of young people and their families and in New Zealand.
The Children and Families Research Fund provides funding to use the Growing Up in New Zealand data to support research into aspects of young people’s lives across the motu and is regularly made available to researcher and research institutions.
The study is conducted by the University of Auckland UniServices, funded by the NZ Government and administered by the Ministry of Social Development.
See “Now We Are Twelve” here: https://growingup.co.nz/now-we-are-twelve
One in five young New Zealanders have experienced material hardship during childhood
Research published today by Growing Up in New Zealand provides a contemporary longitudinal view of material hardship for children in Aotearoa New Zealand, finding that one fifth of today’s young people have experienced material hardship by the time they are 12-years old.
“When we take a longitudinal view of children’s experiences across their childhood, our findings show much greater numbers of New Zealand children have experienced hardship than what prior research suggests,” said Dr Kate Prickett, a lead researcher for Growing Up in New Zealand and Director of Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families and Children at Victoria University of Wellington.
”We were also able to see how some families move in and out of hardship at different time points. We found our families were far more likely to experience hardship during the infancy and pre-school years. However, one in ten twelve-year-olds were also experiencing hardship.”
The findings are from thousands of young people in the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study. This study is funded by the New Zealand Government and administered by the Ministry of Social Development to look at the development and wellbeing of children and young people in Aotearoa New Zealand over time with the latest information gathered at the age of 12-years.
Material hardship is a direct measure of families’ access to everyday essential items, such as food, housing, and medical care. Our respondents identified with a number of the measures for material hardship. For example, putting off dental (20 percent) or doctor’s visits (5 percent), families not having contents insurance (18 percent) and buying cheaper or less meat (15 percent) and going without fruit and vegetables (5 percent).
“This research found significant numbers of children and families going without. It highlights a real opportunity for government to target interventions at times where families are more likely to fall into hardship.”
“Experiences of material hardship are linked with children’s health and wellbeing—effects that can been shown to be associated with longer term consequences for later health and educational attainment.” said Dr Prickett.
Key findings from “Snapshot 2 Material Hardship” https://growingup.co.nz/growing-up-report/material-hardship
One in five had lived in material hardship at some point by the time they were 12 years old, with most experiencing hardship in the early childhood years.
At age 12, one in 10 were living in households reporting material hardship.
Those living in material hardship at age 12 were more likely to be from sole parent homes, lower-income households, and identify as Māori and/or Pacific.
Longitudinal modelling identified four common trajectories of material circumstances across childhood: Material Wellbeing (78.1% of children), Mostly in Wellbeing (15%), Increasing Hardship (3.5%), and Persistent Hardship (3.3%).
“Understanding what helps children to thrive is so important and longitudinal studies like Growing Up in New Zealand are essential for creating well-informed policies.”
Our young people are rich in ethnic and gender diversity
New research published today looking at ethnic and gender identity in young New Zealanders shows that about a third of young people in early adolescence identify with more than one ethnic group and there is rich gender diversity at this age.
“It’s exciting to hear young people sharing how they see themselves at this important stage of life. It’s revealing a rich tapestry of what ethnic and gender diversity looks like in contemporary New Zealand,” said Associate Professor Sarah-Jane Paine, Research Director of Growing Up in New Zealand.
The findings are from around 4,500 young people in the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study, funded by the New Zealand Government and administered by the Ministry of Social Development, which is looking at wellbeing and development of children and young people in Aotearoa NZ over time and most recently as the young people were twelve-years-old.
The study found that around a third of young people said they belonged to more than one ethnic group, and the majority expressed feeling good, happy and proud of their ethnic identity and felt a strong sense of cultural connectedness.
Associate Professor Paine said it’s heartening so many young people expressed these positive feelings about their culture.
“We know from other studies that feeling positive about ethnic group membership is associated with life satisfaction, self-confidence and a sense of purpose.”
The study also asked about whether young people thought of themselves as a boy, a girl, or somewhere in between. Based on their responses, alongside information about their sex at birth, a number of distinct gender groups were identified: cisgender boys and girls, trans boys and girls, as well as young people who are non-binary or unsure of the gender. Transgender and non-binary young people were present in all the main ethnic groups in this study.
“This finding emphasises that trans and non-binary young people are an important group and are a part of all ethnic communities in Aotearoa,” said Dr John Fenaughty, a lead researcher of the study.
Key findings from “Snapshot 1 – Ethnic and Gender identity in twelve year olds” https://growingup.co.nz/growing-up-report/gender-and-ethnic-identity-at-12-years-old
Identification with multiple ethnicities was common – one third of young people at age 12 identified with more than one ethnicity.
Overall, young people feel good, happy and proud about their ethnic identity and feel a strong sense of cultural connectedness and belonging, with similar results for Māori, Pacific, Asian, Middle Eastern/Latin American/African (Middle Eastern/Latin American/African) and ‘Other’ ethnic groups.
There is a rich diversity of gender in the sample, including trans boys and girls, and non-binary young people as well as young people who are unsure of their gender.
Transgender and non-binary people were present in all the major ethnic groupings in the study, emphasising that trans and non-binary young people are part of all ethnic communities.
“Understanding this diversity in people is important because we know that affirming identity is fundamental to helping all young people feel connected. It’s essential we respond to this gender and ethnic diversity when designing policy and delivering services for young people,” said Dr Fenaughty.
“Growing Up in New Zealand has been able to understand the development of identity since even before these young people were born” says Associate Professor Polly Atatoa Carr, one of the research leads of this study, “and this information is so important to effectively support wellbeing and equitable outcomes”.
Background:
Now We Are Twelve:
See “Now We Are Twelve”: https://growingup.co.nz/now-we-are-twelve
The Now We Are Twelve snapshot series is being published between April and June 2023 and covers the following topics: ethnic and gender identity (released today); material hardship (released today); food security; housing and homelessness; COVID-19 impact on child and whānau wellbeing; mental health; school engagement; disability; and relationships.
About Growing Up in New Zealand:
Growing Up in New Zealand is Aotearoa’s largest contemporary longitudinal study of child development following thousands of children from before birth. The children in the study reflect the ethnic and sociodemographic make-up of children born in New Zealand in the early 21st century.
The study is focused on what works to optimise child development and wellbeing.
Children and families generously give their time to the study.
Growing Up in New Zealand is a University of Auckland study, managed by UniServices Limited and is funded by the New Zealand Government and administered by the Ministry of Social Development.
