Ethical bridge builders in a divided democracy

In an age where political theatre dominates headlines and outrage is a form of currency, it’s easy to forget about the quiet majority – the ones juggling mortgage repayments, supporting elderly parents, helping with school fundraisers and wondering if their next energy bill will push them over the edge.

They don’t live on [social media platform] X. They’re not storming Parliament or waving flags. They do, however, care deeply. They want a better society. They just don’t always know how – or if – they’ll find the time to help create one.

These are the Australians who make up the "Positive Preoccupied" and "Isolated Believers" – two of the six key audience segments identified in the Community Compass Report by 89 Degrees East, a segmentation of Australia’s views and engagement with the community sector. Together, they represent 32 per cent of the population. They may also be the most important Australians to understand right now.

Why? Because they are the conscientious centre of the country. Not necessarily the loudest or the most visible – but the ones who still believe that working hard, helping others and doing your bit matters. Even when it feels like the world is falling apart.

Let’s start with the Positive Preoccupied (16 per cent of Australians). They support the community sector in principle and often advocate for it within their social circles. However, they’re buried under the pressures of modern life. They’re more likely to be raising kids, working long hours and facing escalating living costs. They believe in the value of community organisations, they want to help, but they’re exhausted.

Then there are the Isolated Believers (also 16 per cent). Their situation is different but no less important. They are often the most economically and socially vulnerable, and although they’re deeply supportive of community organisations – especially those filling the gaps left by government – they feel disconnected and uncertain of their place in society. They want to get involved but lack the confidence or means. They prioritise security and stability because their lives rarely afford them either.

What both groups have in common is this: they want Australia to work.

They still believe in contribution, fairness and decency. They’re not drawn to ideological wars though. They don’t have time for it – and they don’t see the point.

This is why our obsession with polarisation – especially in the media and politics – feels so disconnected from the lived experience of these Australians.

While elite voices debate “culture wars,” most people are in a different battle: trying to stretch their pay packet far enough to afford childcare, energy, and groceries in the same week. Yet they’re watching the news – or scrolling past it – and seeing leaders and commentators talk in absolutes. Us versus them. Left versus right. Win versus lose.

The Community Compass clearly shows this tension. Australians are split down the middle: 56 per cent think community organisations should speak out on social and political issues, however 49 per cent believe they should “stick to services” and avoid politics.

It’s tempting to interpret that as division. In truth however, it reflects ambivalence, not extremism. People aren’t against advocacy – they’re against point scoring.

And this is the space where Radical Moderates must lead.

Let’s redefine the centre. Not as a location on the political spectrum, but as a posture.

Radical Moderates are not indecisive or uninterested. They’re deeply values driven. They’re also allergic to dogma. They believe in taking action with others — not against them. They know that compromise isn’t a failure; it’s a function of democracy.

They’re not trying to avoid hard questions. They’re trying to ask better ones.

What does good leadership look like when people are overwhelmed, not outraged? When citizens are too tired to protest, but still care deeply about fairness and inclusion? When people don’t have strong ideological convictions, but still know instinctively what feels right?

The Positive Preoccupied and Isolated Believers don’t want a revolution. They want reassurance. They want stability. They want practical progress, not perfect ideology. And they are far more representative of the Australian public than the noisiest voices we so often hear.

The media, in particular, has struggled to read the centre. Too often, Australians are flattened into binary categories: progressive or conservative, for or against, elite or battler. The Community Compass gives us a more nuanced view.

Take the Isolated Believers, for example. They overwhelmingly support more government funding for the community sector. They also believe that service delivery should be prioritised over advocacy. These aren’t contradictions — they’re reflections of real-life priorities. They see the good in the system, even if they feel abandoned by it.

Meanwhile, the Positive Preoccupied are full of hope, but paradoxically feel they lack agency. They may say, "I think my MP is working in my interest," and also, “I don’t feel I have a say.” This is not confusion — it’s fatigue. It’s the slow erosion of civic confidence.

The lesson? We need more leaders who listen closely enough to hold these contradictions with compassion, and who speak clearly enough to be trusted amid the noise.

Ethical leadership in this moment means understanding not just what people believe, but what they’re living through. It means responding to their genuine desire to contribute — even when they can’t volunteer on weekends or attend local forums. It means making space for those who are cautious, tired and tentative. It also means leading with values that transcend party lines: care, safety, opportunity, connection.

Radical Moderates don’t draw their strength from outrage. They draw it from empathy, evidence and action. They understand that for most Australians, politics isn’t a performance — it’s whether or not their kid’s school has enough teachers, or their community has a functioning mental health service.

If you’re a policymaker, advocate or community leader reading this, remember that your most important audience may not be the ones tweeting your last quote. It may be the preoccupied parents who support your mission but haven’t found the time to donate. Or the isolated neighbour who reads your flyers but hasn’t yet walked through the door.

Don’t assume silence means apathy. More often than not, it means people are waiting for you to make it easier, safer and more worthwhile to get involved.

The future of Australian democracy doesn’t belong to those who shout the loudest. It belongs to those who do the work — quietly, consistently, courageously — in the centre.

Dr Rebecca Huntley is one of Australia’s foremost social researchers and a Fellow of the Research Society of Australia. She is also author of How to Talk About Climate Change in a Way That Makes a Difference (2020).