Home » 54% Believe Things Are Getting Worse In Australia According To Pollinate Research

31 October, 2023

54% Believe Things Are Getting Worse In Australia According To Pollinate Research

Pollinate has today revealed the latest findings from its bi-annual The Australia Pulse study, which shows that while almost half of respondents claim they are happy living in Australia, 54 per cent believe things are getting worse.

Since 2007, The Australia Pulse has surveyed over 25,000 Australians to keep a running tab on their relationship with sustainability initiatives, society and economic issues bi-annually.

The new research shows the cost of living continues to reign as the top concern among all environmental, social or economic issues. However, over the past few years the concerns for these three issues have risen together as people are worried about everything all at once.

While respondents agree financial security is the top driver of both happiness and success, only 12 per cent said they were very or extremely unhappy despite the economic concerns. The vast majority of Australians (84 per cent) believe they have control over their own happiness. Similarly, when it comes to success, 72 per cent agree they have been somewhat to very successful in their lives.

Other key findings include:

One-third of the population say they are extremely or very happy, with only 12 per cent extremely or very unhappy
Financial security is the top driver of happiness at 43 per cent
19 per cent of people believe they have been extremely or very successful, with a further 53 per cent agreeing they have been somewhat successful
Financial stability is also the key factor in defining success at 37 per cent, followed by health and well-being at 28 per cent, tied with balance in life
Gen X are less happy than other generations (27 per cent of Gen X say they are extremely or very happy vs 36 per cent of Gen Z and 35 per cent of Millennials)
Despite Boomers being happier overall at 41 per cent, they also have a higher amount of unhappy respondents than Gen Z or Millenials
Younger generations are more optimistic, with 30 per cent of Gen Z and 26 per cent of Millenials thinking things will improve, versus 19 per cent of Gen X and 14 per cent of Boomers

The research also found:

Lifestyle is considered the best thing about Australia (40 per cent), followed by living conditions (36 per cent) and access to healthcare (34 per cent)
The cost of living is considered the worst thing about Australia (62 per cent) followed by distance to other countries, access to suitable housing/land and the political system (equal at 28 per cent)
Heading into summer, bushfires are the top environmental concern at 76 per cent, followed by climate change at 74 per cent. Floods and rising sea levels were of lowest concern at 62 per cent
Boomers are the only generation to not have climate change as a top three concern
The cost of living is the top economic concern at 94 per cent, with household income mentioned by 83 per cent of respondents and affordable housing by 82 per cent

“Our latest Pulse findings show Australians are still retaining their positivity, despite major concerns over the cost of living, the economy and our political system. Interestingly, where people tended to trade off their concerns and only focus on one main issue, since the pandemic in 2019 we’re seeing all concerns rise together as people worry about everything at the same time and lose faith in the system at large,” said Pollinate chief executive officer, Howard Parry-Husbands.

“In the face of all of this, our younger generations, Gen Z in particular, contain the most optimists, yet all generations are outnumbered by pessimists. Happiness for Australians has been quite stable across the past decade, but it is in a gradual decline. The real test will be how long this happiness lasts before it starts really declining”.

The research was conducted in August this year and covered 1,000 people aged 14 to 64 across Australia. The sample was representative of the general Australian population and used Social Soup’s proprietary community.

Pollinate is part of the fast-growing independent marketing business, The Influence Group, which also owns Social Soup, the largest influencer marketing business in Australia and New Zealand.

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