Scanlon Report Finds 48% of Australians Pessimistic as Social Cohesion Holds at 78
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Nov 4
Scanlon Report Finds 48% of Australians Pessimistic as Social Cohesion Holds at 78
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Nov 4
Summary
48% of Australians are pessimistic about the country’s future, up from 43% in 2025, while nearly one-third expect their own lives to worsen over the next four years.
36% named cost of living as Australia’s top issue, and 77% said they were concerned about a severe global economic downturn, with the report linking that pressure to rising distrust of government and weaker institutional trust.
78 out of 100 was the Scanlon social cohesion index again in 2026, even as 62% said cohesion has declined and financial stress deepened — 13% had gone without food and 20% were unhappy with their finances.
87% said immigrants are as likely to be good citizens as Australian-born people and 76% said multiculturalism has been good for Australia, despite rising negative attitudes toward Muslims, Jewish people and some migrant groups.
47% of 2025 Labor or Coalition voters now facing hardship prefer another party or candidate, with most of that shift going to One Nation, suggesting economic strain is reshaping political loyalties.