Aussie social cohesion steady, but strained by cost-of-living pressures

Financial stress continues to impact Australians’ sense of belonging, but the country’s social cohesion has held strong over the past 12 months, according to a major study from The Australian National University (ANU) and the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute.

The 2024 Mapping Social Cohesion study of more than 8,000 people explores the challenges and strengths that shape the nation’s social fabric. It found that key areas of concern for Australians in 2024 include the economy, housing, immigration and safety. 

Study author Dr James O’Donnell, from ANU, said that while global and local challenges have put Australia’s social cohesion under strain, it has not cracked.  

“In a world grappling with conflict and division, our social cohesion is under pressure but holding steady,” Dr O’Donnell said. 

While there has been a decline in key areas like trust and sense of safety, and financial stress remains a top concern, the continued strength of our communities may be protecting our sense of wellbeing and harmony.

The study also found that Australians’ sense of belonging, and their belief that Australia is socially just, remain strong. However, they have fallen significantly below their long-term averages.  

For almost half of Australians, the economy is still the top issue facing the country today (cited by 49 per cent, compared to 48 per cent in 2023), followed by housing issues and affordability.  

Financial stress is widespread, with 41 per cent of Australians describing themselves as either ‘poor or struggling to pay bills’ or ‘just getting along’. The hardest hit groups financially are renters (61 per cent) and young adults aged 25-34 (50 per cent).  

“Young people and financially stressed individuals feel increasingly locked out of the housing market, and those facing financial hardships show less trust in government, institutions, and other people,” Dr O’Donnell said. 

Australian attitudes towards multiculturalism remain overwhelmingly positive, despite tapering off slightly from the peaks of recent years. A large majority of Australians, 85 per cent, agree that multiculturalism has been good for Australia. This is down from 89 per cent in 2023, but still significantly higher than pre-Covid (80 per cent in 2019).  

However, almost half of Australians (49 per cent) believe immigration levels are too high – up sharply from 33 per cent in 2023, and higher than before the pandemic (41 per cent in 2019).  

“This view that immigration is too high is driven by economic and housing concerns, rather than opposition to diversity. Seventy-one per cent of Australians still agree that accepting immigrants from different countries makes Australia stronger,” Dr O’Donnell said.  

“We also saw shifts in attitudes towards all major faith groups, with overall trends less positive and more negative, compared to last year.  

“While support for diversity and multiculturalism remains strong, attitudes to migration and faith groups point to pressures on harmony and cohesion in a challenging global environment.” 

Trust in government has continued to decline since the pandemic’s historic highs, with one-in-three Australians (33 per cent) trusting the Federal Government to do the right thing ‘all’ or ‘most of the time’ in 2024.

The study found trust is higher for public services, such as police and the health system at 72 per cent. Meanwhile, political participation and engagement has remained strong over the past three years with 37 per cent involved in protests, boycotts and/or posting online. 

With crime a prominent national issue, especially violence against women, Australians are feeling less safe in their local areas in recent years. The proportion of women who feel at least ‘fairly safe’ walking alone at night in their local area declined from 54 per cent in 2022 to 46 per cent in 2024.  

Despite rising safety concerns, people’s sense of connection and engagement within their local communities remains a key strength of Australian social cohesion, with 82 per cent agreeing that people in their local area are willing to help their neighbours.  

The vast majority of Australians, 81 per cent, still agree that their local area is a place where people from different national or ethnic backgrounds get along well together. More than half (56 per cent) of Australians were involved in a social, community, religious, civic or political group in the last 12 months. 

“Internal and external pressures have the potential to strain social cohesion. However, findings suggest this impact can be effectively cushioned by the strength of the social fabric – including the sense people have of being part of a community and managing through challenging times together,” Dr O’Donnell said. 

The Scanlon Foundation’s Social Cohesion survey has been running since 2007. Read the full report and findings at the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute. 

Study author Dr James O’Donnell. This was originally published by ANU Reporter, here.