I'm working, I'm studying, I'm saving when I can," she told SBS News."But I wouldn't say my goals feel in reach."Sophie's experience reflects a broader trend identified in a new five-year analysis of the Australian Youth Barometer.The Monash Centre for Youth Policy and Education Practice has tracked more than 2,700 Australians aged 18 to 24 since 2021, examining their experiences across work, education, housing, wellbeing, relationships and civic participation.Its latest report describes young Australians as living through a "polycrisis" of overlapping economic, social, environmental and political pressures that compound one another.Affordable housing was the biggest issue young people flagged as needing urgent action, rising from 60 per cent in 2022 to 82 per cent in 2025.Also recognised as needing urgent action was employment opportunities, which rose from 48 in 2022 to 64 per cent in 2025 It's demotivating."Walsh urged governments to respond to these overlapping issues by breaking down siloed policy approaches and, crucially, giving young people a meaningful role in shaping the policies that affect them.The Barometer also found that young people's belief that change is possible improved following the 2025 federal election.But for Sophie, that hope remains conditional."I recognise the privilege we have here in Australia and I do believe there are ways to fix the problems people in my generation are concerned about," she said."I try to stay optimistic; it would just help if there was a bit more to be hopeful about, or if it felt like my generation's concerns were actually being prioritised or even considered."For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.