Australia's Social Cohesion: Causes & Solutions

0:00You're listening to Adelaide News today, powered by the Daily News Now. Social cohesion in Australia is on a downward trend. According to the Scanlan Monash Index, the country's longest-running survey since 2000. Seven. It measures belonging, fairness, civic participation, acceptance of diversity and trust in people and institutions. Nearly every area has weakened since the late 2000s, with lower trust and a stronger sense of division today. Several key factors drive this decline. Rising material inequality, like housing costs, leads to geographic segregation between rich and poor, even in schools. Trust and public institutions has dropped sharply over two decades, fueling feelings of corruption. Civic life is fading, with fewer people in clubs or community groups beyond sports. Rapid demographic shifts from high-migration stress cohesion, when integration lags, and fragmented media creates separate information bubbles that amplify hostility. These trends show up in rising support for third parties and widespread perceptions of

1:03a rigged system. The good news is, we can turn this around with proven strategies. Contact theory, backed by decades of research, shows regular interactions between diverse groups as equals, build trust and reduce bias, think mixed housing and neighborhoods, shared university dorms, or community projects. To rebuild further, focus on fair housing and services for young people, competent institutions that treat everyone equally, and citizens' forms on, hot issues. These steps foster the trust networks that make society work, proving social cohesion is within our control. D&N is brought to you by our sponsor link in the description. Your pillow, your podcast, your moment, made for listening in bed, solypillow.com.