Social Cohesion

Its decline leads to worsening mental health, family and domestic violence, child abuse, youth justice, disability inclusion, gender equality and homelessness.  

Household finances, in particular, are the single most important predictor of how people perceive cohesion in Australia. People who are struggling to pay bills or who describe themselves as poor or ‘just getting along’ are much less likely to say they have a great sense of belonging in Australia, have a much lower sense of happiness and self-worth, perceive substantially weaker social inclusion and justice in Australia, are less likely to trust other people or the government, and are more likely to disagree that multiculturalism has been good for Australia.

Cost-of-living pressures mean that households are unable to afford the cost of going to events and clubs, or even putting fuel in the car to travel to friends and community activities.  Additionally, whilst entertainment, social connection, and understanding other perspectives and cultures continue to be the most common motivations to attend arts and cultural events, Australians are attending arts events and festivals less frequently due to the cost.

With our sense of social cohesion reaching its lowest level since the Scanlon-Monash Index of Social Cohesion began in 2007, this research shows that the profound concern over personal finances, economic prospects and housing affordability has driven this fall. Those who do not believe that Australia is still a place of economic equality, fairness or opportunity (which has declined by 16 percentage points over the last decade) are unlikely to register high levels of national pride and belonging.

Almost half of Australians say our nation is more divided today than in the past. The rich and powerful are identified as the major dividing force (72 per cent), followed by hostile foreign governments (69 per cent), journalists (51 per cent), and government leaders (49 per cent).  

Worryingly, the majority of Australians think the nation’s social fabric has become too weak to serve as a foundation for unity and common purpose. More than six in ten think the lack of civility and mutual respect today is the worst they have ever seen.   Reflecting the increasing racism and discrimination, only a quarter of Australians would help a person in need who strongly disagreed with their own strong view on a societal issue, only one in five would be willing to live in the same neighbourhood as them and would be willing to work alongside them.  

The decline is compounded by an ongoing fall in trust in our institutions with establishment leaders not trusted to tell us the truth. Nearly six out of ten Australians report that government, business leaders and journalists are purposely trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations.

Given its rich and eclectic migration history, Australia has always had to grapple with how to create a unified national identity among a population that has, increasingly, come from elsewhere.

What unites us as a country usually combines people fighting against adversity with skill and fairness, as exemplified by the Anzac spirit.  For instance, we are the only country to require ‘fairness’ for the award of the best player for our major sports codes.

Notwithstanding the occasional outpouring of national pride for great feats in disasters, sport is the great unifier with nine out of ten adults participating in sport at least once a year, together with 3.8 million children. More than 70 per cent of us believe that Australia’s elite athletes are some of the best role models for ourselves, for children and young people to aspire to. Nearly nine out of ten Australians believe that sport is good for bringing their communities together.  However, the serious racism and discrimination at all levels of sport seriously undermine sport-related social cohesion.

Ray Oldenburg's 1989 The Good Place introduced the concept of ‘third places’ as social settings that are separate from home (first place) and work (second place). A third place is a public gathering spot that facilitates community interaction, like a coffee shop, library, or pub, where people can socialise, run into acquaintances, or meet new people. As a social species that needs to be around people, third places encapsulate the core of community life, promoting informal interactions vital for fostering individual identity and collective cohesion. But Australia faces growing pressure on third places with rising rents and operating costs, commercialisation favouring chain stores over local independent venues that historically functioned as third places, closure of live music venues, our car-centric urban design, limited public transport and less walkable neighbourhoods limiting access.

With over three million Australians giving their time and talent annually, volunteering is at the heart of our communities and critical to social cohesion. Volunteering is a social outlet that enables a way to engage with people who share common interests and values, and leads to building both bonding and bridging social capital. 

Our sports clubs, charities and community groups rely on the expertise and labour of Australians to operate, but volunteering has been on a steady decline from 34 per cent in 2006 to less than one in four Australians in 2020.  COVID then decimated volunteering, with two-thirds of volunteers estimated to have stopped volunteering between February and April 2020. Volunteering numbers since have not returned to pre-pandemic levels despite 83 per cent of charities needing more volunteers.

Charities report a disconnect between the need for regular, ongoing roles and the preference of volunteers for more episodic or project-based opportunities with work and family commitments preventing Australians from regularly volunteering, alongside increasing work hours and cost-of-living pressures.

The Inquiry into Volunteering in Queensland in 2025 found that while volunteering contributes immense civic, social, and economic value—estimated at over $117 billion annually—participation rates have declined significantly, falling from 76 per cent in 2020 to 64 per cent in 2023, equating to a loss of around 200,000 volunteers. Those who remain are increasingly burdened by rising expectations, financial costs, and regulatory hurdles.

In response to the growing public incidents of racism, especially by far-right groups, the importance of social cohesion has been recognised by the Albanese government, appointing MP, Peter Khalil, the son of Egyptian migrant parents, as the country’s first Special Envoy for social cohesion, alongside a government Office for Social Cohesion under the Department of Home Affairs.  However, we have yet to see a nationally coordinated and resourced approach to reverse our decline in social cohesion.  So, it is time for you to act.