Australia’s social cohesion under pressure: report

Posted on 16 Nov 2023

By Greg Thom, journalist, Institute of Community Directors Australia

The cost-of-living crisis, a lack of housing affordability and polarising national debates such as the Voice referendum have helped Australia record the lowest level of social cohesion on record.

The trend has been exacerbated by declines in trust in government and sense of national pride.

The 2023 Mapping Social Cohesion report released by the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute revealed that while Australia has demonstrated extraordinary resilience, the nation's social cohesion is under pressure and declining on multiple fronts.

Conducted in July 2023, the annual survey asked 7,500 people more than 100 questions on topics ranging from immigration to financial satisfaction, trust in government and community life.

Scanlon Institute CEO Anthea Hancocks said if there’s one thing the research has shown over the past 16 years, it’s that social cohesion is not static.

"It’s constantly changing, swayed by local and global events that create challenges to our sense of belonging, worth and acceptance.”

Three of the report's key findings:

Australians were increasingly concerned about their personal finances and economic inequality across society, with a record high 84% agreeing the gap between those with high and low incomes is too large.

Less than half of Australians felt a great sense of national belonging while just over a third said they took great pride in Australia’s culture and way of life.

There is continued strong support for cultural diversity, with the vast majority of those surveyed agreeing that immigration is good for the economy and that multiculturalism is good for Australia.

“Participation in and support for democracy are key to our future social cohesion.”

Dr James O'Donnell, lead researcher.

The report’s lead researcher, Dr James O’Donnell from the Australian National University, said people struggling to pay their bills were much less likely to feel a great sense of belonging and much more likely to feel pessimistic about the future.

“With more Australians under financial pressure in 2023, it's perhaps not a surprise that our sense of worth and social inclusion are lower this year,” he said.

The report found that declining national pride and belonging were linked closely with declining trust in government, with just 36% of people trusting the federal government to do the right thing by the Australian people.

“With more people worried about economic inequality we’re less trusting of government, more worried about the future and less connected to Australian values and society,” said Dr O’Donnell.

“This is an important call to action for government and the community to help ensure everyone has the opportunity to contribute to society to the fullest.”

The comments echoed those of federal Charities Minister Andrew Leigh, who has consistently highlighted the importance of social connection amid what the government has labelled a “crisis in civic life.”

In a recent town hall meeting attended by not-for-profit sector leaders in Melbourne, Mr Leigh again outlined challenges ranging from falling levels of charitable giving to an alarming decline in volunteering.

“The context in which we are having this conversation is one in which Australian community life is under pressure,” Mr Leigh told his audience.

He said that over the course of the past generation, Australia has seen a decline in the share of Australians who volunteer, experienced a drop in the number of people who donate to charity, witnessed a fall in the share of people who are members of community groups, and struggled to arrest the decline in team sport participation.

Mr Leigh said the typical Australian had twice as many friends in the 1980s as they do today, and used to know twice as many neighbours.

“So part of the answer to that is revitalising the charity and community sector.”

The government has thrown its support behind the national strategy on volunteering and also launched the Productivity Commission inquiry, aimed at finding ways to double philanthropic giving by 2030.

Changing face of social inclusion and justice — The changing face of social inclusion in Australia.

The Scanlon Foundation report’s findings are the latest evidence pointing to growing inequality pulling at the fabric of Australian society.

The recently released State of Social Impact Report by the Impact Institute confirmed the growing awareness of and concern about rising inequality in the community.

The report revealed that the trend was being exacerbated by factors such as the rising cost of living, job insecurity and disparities in access to education and healthcare.

“In 2023, there is a growing realisation that systems designed to deliver ‘trickle down’ shared prosperity are instead fueling the inequality gap – at unprecedented levels,” the reports stated.

A new report, meanwhile, from the peak housing advocacy group National Shelter and SGS Economics revealed rental affordability has deteriorated over the past year, with renters in the nation's capital cities now worse off than before the pandemic.

While outlining the many challenges to social cohesion, the Scanlon Foundation report also found that community connection at the local level remained strong, with four out of five people feeling a sense of belonging in their neighbourhood.

Nine out of ten people agreed that democracy was a good way to govern Australia, despite the shrinking trust in government.

“Participation in and support for democracy are key to our future social cohesion,” said Dr O’Donnell.

“The latest findings show that when faced with challenging circumstances Australians continue to recognise the value of debating our ideas in a free and open society and are prepared to fight for change for the better.”