Relentless cost-of-living pressure, rising interest rates, uncertainty about the direction of the economy and growing concern about inequality has undermined Australia’s sense of social cohesion, according to authoritative new research.

After a polarising voice referendum campaign and amid rising community tensions over the war in the Middle East, the latest Mapping Social Cohesion Report puts the Scanlon-Monash Index of Social Cohesion at its lowest ebb since the survey began 16 years ago.

The social cohesion index provides a barometer of social wellbeing, measuring belonging, worth, participation, acceptance and rejection, social inclusion and justice. The measure declined by four points over the past 12 months, hitting the lowest result on record. Since November 2020 – the peak of social cohesion recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic – the index has plummeted 13 points.

    • wscholermann
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      1 year ago

      Do you honestly believe labor governments both at state and federal levels have clean hands? They claim to be a friend of the people then meanwhile enact and support the same kinds policies and tactics.

      It is an unfortunate fact in politics that all parties regardless of what they “say” they claim to represent often do the exact opposite. One could argue it’s a matter of degree but nonetheless, all parties must be examined with a critical eye.