Sex, drugs and rock’n’roll: Young people and risk behaviours

Since 2005, we have surveyed over 9,000 people aged between 16 and 29 years of age at Melbourne’s Big Day Out about sexual risk behaviour and drug use. From 2015, we have moved the survey to an online form. Questions have covered participant’s sexual histories, condom use, knowledge and perceptions of STIs, and STI testing histories. We ask about alcohol and other drug use, and other risks and behaviours such as gambling, diet and exercise, mental health, and smoking. There is also a series of questions concerning media use, e.g. pornography, sexting, social media and smartphones, online gambling. The student project could focus on one of these issues or a range of themes. These findings, in the context of current public health measures, will be used to advise on the design of future health promotion campaigns.