In 2020 ABC Friends Vic commissioned the ABC Youth Engagement Research Project undertaken by La Trobe University post-graduate students.

Of the 705 participants across the 18-34 year-old age groups, both rural and urban, key findings highlight:

• while the ABC is generally valued, this demographic is largely unaware of who funds the ABC and the importance of independent public broadcasting;
• Over 80% of this cohort stay up to date with news and current affairs via Social Media;
• Only 41% say that they trust the ABC most for news/current affairs – only 28% of the 16-19 year-old cohort trust the ABC (compared to 46% in the 30-34 year-old cohort, and over 70% for the general population).

These research results raise concerns about support for the ABC in the future, and present a challenge for ABC Friends in its role of raising awareness of the ABC and the importance of public broadcasting.

The ABC Friends NewGen Initiative is our response to this challenge. We are setting out to build awareness of the need for and the importance of public broadcasting, and to build support for the ABC, amongst 18-35 year olds.

We have commissioned a Youth Engagement and Social Media Officer, and we are starting to put together a NewGen Reference Group of young people to help drive the Initiative. Activities on our list in early planning include:

• Social media campaigning
• Secondary school debates
• University campus club engagement
• Links to youth organisations
• Tertiary communications competitions, and
• Implementing the campaign of the Pitch This

We need your support to implement this multi-layered and multi-year Initiative. Please help us to ensure the long term future of the ABC, via your support of ABC Friends.