State of the Nation Report 9: The ever-changing state of Australia

Under the broad headings of Society, Technology, Economy, Politics and the Environment, this Report highlights many interesting facets of Australian life and shows how over time Australian lifestyle trends, political views and individual habits have been changing.

As a nation long-term macro trends affecting the economy such as an ageing population, increasing levels of education and decreasing home ownership are important factors for strategic planning but just as important are short-term trends. As already reported in the Morgan Poll on 8 November 2011, ongoing global unease has even hit Australia with Australians now saying economic issues (33%) are the most important issues facing Australia, while the environment has seen a recent drop (to 16%).


Most Important Issue Facing Australia


Source: Roy Morgan nationwide telephone poll (n=638) October 25-26, 2011.


Alongside macro trends there are a wealth of other societal factors to be considered when analysing the state of Australia – Australia is changing its cuisine preferences (in September 2011, 45% of people like to eat Indian food, up from 32% in June 2001) as Australian ethnic diversity continues to increase. Contrary to what the media might portray, Australians are less concerned with security and safety than they have ever been (in the latest State of the Nation Report 41% of people say ‘I feel less safe than I used to’, down from 53% in 2003).

Progressiveness is another theme emerging over the long-term. Progressive attitudes in society are increasing (in September 2011, 35% of people had a ‘progressive viewpoint on social issues and social trends, up from 32% in June 1998) as conservative attitudes decline, occurring as society becomes ever more connected through the Internet (79% of Australians now have an Internet connection at home compared to 29% in December 1999). However fatigue can beset even progressive environmental attitudes with positive environmental attitudes waning (75% of Australians say, ‘if we don’t act now we’ll never control our environmental problems’, down from 90% in 2007).

The pervasiveness of being connected with others is also affecting how Australians spend their leisure time. Fewer Australians are playing sports (23%, down from 32% in 1999) while more are enjoying individual formal exercise (46%, up from 39% in 1999). Fewer are ‘going out’ to the movies or entertaining friends while more are using ‘a computer at home’ (81%, up from 48% in 1999).


Michele Levine, Chief Executive Officer, Roy Morgan Research, says: