The Ö3 youth study 2025: Young Austrians demand financial education!

The Ö3 youth study 2025: Young Austrians demand financial education!

The results of the Ö3 youth study 2025 were published today, in which around 28,000 young people in Austria took part. The survey shows that 86% of 16 to 25 year olds are satisfied with their lives. At the same time, many respondents expressed concerns about schooling and the associated financial knowledge.

What is particularly striking is that 63% of participants find the curriculum too full and unworldly. A big wish of the young generation is the introduction of financial education as a school subject, which 83% of those surveyed support. This makes it clear that there is a clear need for more economic knowledge.

Financial education as a priority

The results are consistent with the findings from another youth study published by the Federal Association of German Banks. This study shows that 75% of young respondents believe information about money matters is important. Over 92% call for more economics and financial knowledge in schools. However, 80% of 14 to 24 year olds say they learned “little” or “almost nothing” about economics and finance at school. This points to a significant gap in young people's financial literacy.

It is striking that the desire for more financial education is particularly pronounced among girls and young women. They save less often and, on average, have less money than their male counterparts. In addition, only 25% of female respondents know about the European Central Bank's monetary policy responsibilities, while 27% of young people do not know what a share is.

Realities of life of Generation Z

The Ö3 study also shows that 80% of young people want to work full-time, while 59% actively use artificial intelligence. Despite the trend towards social media, which 67% find to be a time-waster, many cannot break away from it. A large proportion, 81%, reject trends such as “tradwifes” or “alpha or sigma males”, which indicates a critical attitude towards current social norms.

When choosing a partner, love is the top priority for 95% of those surveyed, while money is only important for 15%. This illustrates that emotional well-being is more fundamental than material values. In addition, 66% see children as part of a successful life and 83% think it is normal for fathers to take a year of maternity leave.

The results also show worrying trends: 80% of those surveyed are afraid of ongoing wars and 56% perceive affordable housing as a concern. 43% say they feel “anxiety about the future,” while 57% see the future as solvable. Another topic that concerns many people is psychological problems - 69% would seek support if necessary.

In order to respond to the needs of the young generation, Hitradio Ö3 is planning a “Mental Health Festival” in autumn 2025 that will deal with topics of mental health. The aim is not only to emphasize the importance of discussions about mental health issues, but also to offer concrete support.