Young adults are the least trusting and positive in the community,with 47 per cent of people aged 25 to 34 saying they are pessimistic about the future compared to 35 per cent of those aged 65 and over.
The Scanlon Foundation report on community attitudes,funded by the not-for-profit foundation and led by Australian National University lecturer James O’Donnell,concludes that social cohesion is at its lowest level since the annual studies began in 2007.
“Social cohesion is under pressure – it’s been declining and we’re a little bit more divided as a country,” O’Donnell said.
“There are bigger fissures between conservative and progressive voters and their attitudes. And the economy has been this big,overriding issue that’s weighing down cohesion among people across society,in terms of their belonging,their trust,their worries for the future,and their connections with Australian society generally.”
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The new report,Mapping Social Cohesion 2023,is based on surveys conducted with 7500 people in July this year and is being released on Wednesday. Its release comes after the latest Resolve Political Monitor foundheightened concerns among voters about the cost of living and their household incomes.
The research tracks factors such as a sense of belonging,economic inequality and fairness to produce an index of social cohesion that has fallen to 79 points this year,down by 13 points since 2020.