Holding together, Just: Wellbeing, Economic Strain, and Democratic Resilience in Australia, March 2026

Abstract

This paper reports findings from the March 2026 wave of the ANUpoll, conducted with 3,662 adult Australians between 11 and 26 March 2026, and draws on 28 prior waves stretching back to October 2019. Average life satisfaction has fallen to 6.22 out of 10, the lowest recorded in the series and below levels reached during COVID-19 lockdowns. For the first time, more Australians are dissatisfied with the direction of the country than satisfied, and nearly three-in-five believe life was better fifty years ago. Financial stress is at a record high, and employed Australians' expected probability of job loss has reached 26.8 per cent, statistically indistinguishable from pandemic-era levels, despite an unemployment rate of only 4.3 per cent. Fear of automation has nearly doubled since 2018 and is now a primary driver of employment anxiety. Against this backdrop, satisfaction with democracy has remained broadly stable and principled support for democratic norms is strong. Education emerges as the single most consistent predictor of positive outcomes across the paper. The paper concludes that Australia is not at the point of democratic unravelling, but the economic, security, and institutional pressures documented here establish a long-term time series against which future surveys will need to be read carefully.