Parents have a central role in determining the development, health, learning, and wellbeing of their children through parenting. To support parents, the Australian government and various state governments have made policy commitments to improve the accessibility of evidence-based parenting programs (e.g., Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care funded the national rollout of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program as part of the Parenting Education Support Program [PESP]). Also, the Covid-19 pandemic and the rising cost of living have posed unique challenges to families in Australia. 

To inform policy, research, and service delivery, a large-scale, National Parenting Pulse Survey captured the most up-to-date parenting experiences, challenges, and needs of parents in Australia.

Over 8,300 parents in Australia participated in this online survey. The survey revealed an ongoing requirement for support for parental mental health and self-care (e.g., sleep, guilt), and specific resources to address parents’ concerns about the negative effects of social media use in children.

Key findings

• Overall, almost 9 in 10 families have had to cut back on their spending due to the rising cost of living. 
• About 6 in 10 parents were dissatisfied with the amount of time they spent on self-care, more than 8 in 10 parents felt sleep deprived at least once a week, and more than 3 in 10 parents experienced feelings of guilt every day. 
• Parents reported that these factors and stressors have limited their ability to be the calm and loving parents they wanted to be, which leads to the finding that the vast with the majority of parents (85%) reported yelling or raising their voice at their children. 
• Screen time, social media use, and cyber safety were top concerns of parents and a major source of conflict in many families (82%). 
• Parents tended to rely on a wide range of sources for parenting advice and support. Nearly half of all parents indicated that they choose parenting programs as their source of information. 
• These experiences were generally consistent between states and territories.