Scanlon survey finds Australians are more anxious, disillusioned

Australians are 'more divided' and 'more pessimistic', according to the latest annual survey by the Scanlon Foundation. The latest report (Mapping Social Cohesion 2026), with data from 10,000 participants, found that one in three respondents expressed anxiety about their future — triple the number of respondents who expressed the same pessimism in Scanlon's first 2006 survey. On the issue of migration, more Australians are of the view that the current intake is too high, but most still agree that immigrants improve Australians society. Guest: Dr James O'Donnell, demographer at ANU, lead investigator at Scanlon Foundation Get in touch: Email us at [email protected]