Record 9.1 million searches for help through Ask Izzy amidst growing cost-of-living crisis

Australians made 9.1 million searches for help through Ask Izzy in 2025–26, the highest number recorded by the service. 

The figure has risen from 8.5 million searches the previous year, an increase of around 7%, as Australians face growing cost-of-living pressures and a range of social challenges. Searches are also rising year-on-year across key areas including food, housing, financial assistance, mental health and employment, showing that both the overall demand for help and the breadth of need are increasing. 

Ask Izzy is a free and anonymous service operated by Infoxchange that connects people experiencing hardship or crisis with support services across Australia. 

Millions of searches across Australia 

Demand for support through Ask Izzy was significant across every state and territory during 2025–26. 

New South Wales and Victoria each accounted for around 29% of searches, followed by Queensland with 24%. 

The scale of searches across every state and territory shows that the need for accessible support is not confined to one part of the country. Ask Izzy is being used as national social services infrastructure by Australians looking for help wherever they live. 

Women account for almost two-thirds of Ask Izzy users 

Women make up the majority of people searching for help through Ask Izzy. 

Around 63% of users are female, compared with 32% male and 2% trans or gender diverse. 

This highlights the importance of Ask Izzy for women, particularly those seeking urgent and confidential support while caring for children, escaping family violence or dealing with other forms of acute hardship. 

Food, housing and financial assistance among the biggest areas of need 

Food was the most searched-for category on Ask Izzy in 2025–26, accounting for 31% of searches — approximately 2.82 million searches. 

Housing accounted for 17% of searches, or approximately 1.55 million, followed by financial assistance at 14%, or approximately 1.27 million. 

Mental health and wellbeing represented 13% of searches, or approximately 1.18 million, while family violence accounted for 6%, or approximately 546,000 searches. 

The data highlights the breadth of support Australians are searching for and finding through Ask Izzy, from immediate essentials such as food and accommodation through to financial, mental health and employment assistance. 

Younger and working-age Australians make up the majority of users 

People aged 27 to 39 represent the largest age group using Ask Izzy, at 36%, followed by people aged 18 to 26 and 40 to 54, both at 23%. 

The figures highlight the importance of Ask Izzy for young adults and people in the years when they are often establishing careers, raising families and taking on greater household costs and responsibilities, a stage of life when financial and emotional pressures can quickly become difficult to manage. 

Searches for essential support continue to grow 

The figures also show that demand is increasing across many key support areas. 

Food searches increased 5.1% compared with the previous financial year, while housing searches rose 6.1%. 

Financial assistance searches increased 5.1%, and mental health and wellbeing searches increased 6.9%. 

Family violence searches increased 2.3% while health-related searches recorded the strongest proportional growth among these areas, increasing 16.0% between 2024–25 and 2025–26.  

The growth across almost every major area of need shows that the record use of Ask Izzy is not being driven by one issue alone. Australians are looking for more help across a wide range of essential needs, reflecting a difficult economic and social environment and highlighting the importance of making support easy to find when people are struggling. 

Note: Some figures and percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding and because Ask Izzy users do not always provide demographic or profile information.