Australians are individually among the WEIRDest. Whether or not we are now religious,our views have been shaped by the social structures our religious ancestors built,which encouraged individualism,independence,the notion that strangers have the same inherent human value as those related to us,non-conformity,resistance to tradition and a number of other characteristics which you might instantly recognise as positive,even aspirational,and which you probably believe you possess. Some of us are so non-conforming that we have talked ourselves out of religion entirely. We believe that you can be moral,spiritual and good without attending religious ceremonies or worshipping a higher being.
We are also open to other peoples and cultures and Australia’s immigration intake has made Australia the diverse,multicultural and multi-faith society it is today. Since the middle of last century,the overseas-born populationhas risen from one-tenth to one-third. This has increased the proportion of non-WEIRD to WEIRD people,as more people come to Australia from countries such as India,China,the Philippines,Malaysia and Sri Lanka.
These countries tend to be more religious,more family-oriented and less individualistic than societies which have been WEIRD for a very long time. The people from them bring their cultural dispositions with them and,Henrich has found,generally these values are also held by their descendants over a couple of generations. These communities are more socially conservative,family-oriented and religious than your inner-city WEIRDo.
These communities now hold quite a lot of electoral power. That is not,of course,why the new Premier holds the values he does. But Henrich reports that immigrants from different countries living in the same country show higher levels of trust in people of faith,even if it’s a faith different to their own. The Premier’s values make him more trustworthy among the less WEIRD new Australians.
In retail political speak,Perrottet can connect with voters from many religions because he shares their values. But then so can NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns,who is also a family-oriented Catholic. Both men are focused on the needs and aspirations of non-WEIRD Western Sydney,in which the next state and federal elections could be decided.
By now the WEIRD people who are terrified of Perrottet should be waking up to a shocking discovery. Australian public life doesn’t revolve around their values. ABC Religion and Ethics presenter Andrew Westwrote thoughtfully about the lessons of the 2019 federal election won by the Liberals,in which religious freedom played at least some part,observing that “Labor,and the broader left,need to understand that you cannot celebrate multiculturalismwithout supporting religious freedom”.