Half of Australians believe ‘society is broken’, ‘country in decline’
Half of Australians believe ‘society is broken’ and the ‘country is in decline’, while six in 10 think the economy is rigged towards the nation’s elite, Ipsos’ new global survey has found.
The survey, which was conducted in November and December 2023 to examine global perceptions of populism and anti-elitisim nativisim, showed 50% of Australians believe ‘society is broken’ and 48% believe the ‘country is in decline’.
Six in 10 Aussies think the economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful, while a third of the country still thinks the nation would be ‘stronger if we stopped immigration.’
When it comes to referendums, the nation is firmly divided - half think political issues should be decided by referendum voting; half disagree. That figure is below the global average of 58% in support of referendums.
Key Australian findings
- Half (50%) of Australians believe ‘our society is broken’ - slightly below the global average (57%).
- Almost half (48%) of Australians believe ‘our country is in decline’. The figure is above the global average (58%), with only four other countries more optimistic about their nation (Mexico 45%, Indonesia 42%, Poland 36% and Singapore 30%).
- Two thirds (65%) of Australians believe ‘the economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful’.
- More than half (57%) of Australians agree that ‘traditional parties and politicians don’t care about people like me’. The figure is more positive than the global average (64%), with only Sweden (51%), the Netherlands (44%) and Singapore (43%) less likely to agree with this statement.
- Two thirds (67%) of Australians believe that ‘Australia needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful’, while over half (52%),think the nation needs a ‘strong leader willing to break the rules.’
- Australia is below the global average (58%), when it comes to deciding political issues via referendum, sitting at 50%.
- A third (34%) of Australians believe ‘Australia would be stronger if we stopped immigration. This is significantly behind the global average (43%).
- Australians are also less likely than their global partners (59%) to believe that ‘when jobs are scarce, employers should prioritise hiring people of this country over immigrants’ (51%).
- When it comes to public spending, Australia is more likely to support increased taxes to pay for additional public spending (21%, compared to 19% globally)
Ipsos Australia Director, Jessica Elgood, said: “The findings from the study provide a fascinating insight into the current state of our thinking about Australian society and the Government. We are not as consumed by the idea of Australia being as ‘broken’ as many other countries, and we’re less likely to agree that our elected representatives do not have our interests at heart. We’re also less concerned than other parts of the world that immigrants are threatening our well-being. Both of these results are reassuring and speak to the health of our political system and economy. But, despite not perceiving our society to be as troubled as other countries, we are equally, or more, enthralled by the need for a strong leader, willing to break the rules, to fix our country.”
Key global findings
System Is Broken Index
To pick up on the sentiment that the “system is broken”, Ipsos calculates a “System Is Broken” Index, which is calculated on agreement to five key statements:
- The economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful (a 28-country average of 67% agree)
- Traditional parties and politicians don’t care about people like me (64%)
- To fix [Country], we need a strong leader willing to break the rules (49%)
- [Country] needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful (63%)
- Experts in this country don't understand the lives of people like me (62%)
The average agreement across the 28 countries surveyed to these statements stands at 61%, a four-percentage point increase compared to 2022, but roughly in line with levels from 2016 (60%) and 2019 (62%). Among countries with major elections in 2024, South Africa has high levels of agreement to these questions at 73%, a 15-percentage point increase compared to 2016 (58%). Other countries with major elections in 2024 sit roughly near the 28-country average, including the United States (60%), Great Britain (64%), and Mexico (62%).
Many feel their country, their society, and the system is broken
Majorities of respondents in the 28 countries Ipsos surveyed feel their country is in decline and that their country’s society is broken.
On average, across the 28 countries polled, 57% feel their country’s society is broken, representing a plurality in every country, with the exception of Singapore (27%). These levels are highest in South Africa (76%) and Sweden (73%).
Similarly, a majority of respondents agree that their country is in decline (58%), including 72% in South Africa, 68% in Great Britain, and 59% in the United States.
On average, across the 28 countries polled, most agree that their country’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful (67%), that traditional parties and politicians don’t care about people like them (64%), and that experts in this country don’t understand the lives of people like them (62%).
Elite suspicion
Across the 28 countries polled, respondents tend to believe that elites are a closely connected group of people with similar interests and views on important issues (an average of 62%) rather than a loose group of people with different interests (an average of 39%).
Distrust of these elites is high across most of the countries polled. Two in three (a 28-country average of 67%) say that the main divide in their society is between ordinary citizens and the political and economic elite. This represents a majority in all the countries polled, ranging from 79% in South Africa, 74% in Indonesia, and 73% in India, to 53% in the Netherlands and 55% in Singapore. Across the 28 countries Ipsos surveyed, two in three (67%, on average) also agree that the political and economic elite don’t care about hard-working people.
A plurality, on average, across all 28 countries polled, feels that the elites in their country make decisions based on their own interests over the needs of the rest of the people in their country (49% on average) rather than making decisions that are in the best interest of most of the country’s citizens (11% on average). Respondents in Hungary (69%) and Argentina (67%) are the most likely to feel that elites in their country make decisions based on their own interests.
Backlash toward immigrants varies widely
While anti-elite sentiment is widespread in the 28 countries surveyed, there is a wider disparity in opinion when it comes to immigration. For example, agreement with the sentiment that their country “would be stronger if [it] stopped immigration” ranges from 77% in Türkiye and 76% in India to 16% in Japan and 19% in South Korea. Across the 28 countries polled, an average of 43% agree with this statement, representing an 11-point increase compared to 2016, when an average of 32% agreed with that sentiment.
A similar pattern holds when it comes to sentiment around hiring “people of this country” over immigrants, reaching highs of 84% in Indonesia and 81% in Hungary compared to lows in Spain at 43% and Sweden at 38%. In comparison, 59% across each of the 28 countries polled agree with this. In countries with major elections in 2024, Indonesia (84%), South Africa (74%), and India (77%) are the most likely to agree with this statement.
The potential for populism – and populist leaders – is present
A majority among the 28 countries polled feel their country needs a strong leader to “take the country back from the rich and powerful” (63% on average), though slightly fewer agree their country needs a strong leader willing to break the rules (49% on average).
The desire for a strong leader willing to break the rules ranges from highs in Thailand (85%) and India (73%) to lows in Spain (29%) and Germany (27%). South Africa (62%) and Great Britain (53%) both sit above the 28-country average, while Mexico (44%) and the U.S. (40%) sit just below the average.
A new government, not a small government
While populist-favoring sentiment is widespread, respondents still say that their government should take an active role in improving their country. On average, majorities in the 28 countries polled say their governments should spend more money on infrastructure (62%), education (69%), public safety (69%), job creation (69%), and reducing poverty (67%) – though a minority wants to increase taxes to do so (19%).
The desire for governments to increase their spending is higher in Peru (90% healthcare, 88% education, 84% infrastructure), South Africa (86% healthcare, 84% education, 84% infrastructure), and Indonesia (89% healthcare, 86% education, 76% infrastructure).
While confidence in the “system” is low and the seeds of populism are present, the desire for continued government investment in improving its country is just as present.
About the study
These are the results of a 28-country survey conducted by Ipsos on its Global Advisor online platform and, in India, on its IndiaBus platform, between Friday, November 22 and Friday, December 6, 2023. For this survey, Ipsos interviewed a total of 20,630 adults aged 18 years and older in India, 18-74 in Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, Turkey, and the United States, 20-74 in Thailand, 21-74 in Indonesia and Singapore, and 16-74 in all other countries.
The “28-country average” reflects the average result for all the countries and markets where the survey was conducted. It has not been adjusted to the population size of each country or market and is not intended to suggest a total result.
The sample consists of approximately 1,000 individuals each in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the U.S., and 500 individuals each in Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, and Turkey. The sample in India consists of approximately 2,200 individuals, of whom approximately 1,800 were interviewed face-to-face and 400 were interviewed online.