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In 2025, only 31 percent of Generation Z reported feeling a “great” sense of national belonging, according to data from the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute. This figure highlights the lowest level of national attachment across all age groups, with no available data from 2010 to 2012 for comparison.
Research conducted by the Scanlon Foundation reveals a trend of declining national belonging, particularly among younger Australians. Bar charts included in the study illustrate this decline among both Australian-born individuals and those who immigrated before 2010. The sense of belonging is notably weaker in younger generations, with both Gen Z and Millennials showing the lowest levels overall.
Dr. O’Donnell from the Australian National University’s School of Demography expressed concern over the findings, linking the lower sense of national belonging to increased feelings of loneliness, social isolation, and unhappiness. “Where we pick up on a cause of concern in the report is where it’s quite strongly related to a sense of loneliness, social isolation, unhappiness,” Dr. O’Donnell noted.
“Where we pick up on a cause of concern in the report is where it’s quite strongly related to a sense of loneliness, social isolation, unhappiness,” said O’Donnell, a researcher based at the Australian National University’s School of Demography.
“Those kind of day-to-day daily connections in people’s lives then shape their broader sense of belonging in Australia, and that explains a big part of the difference between the older and the younger generations,” he said.
Economic disadvantage and a fair go
The report found that financial pressures were particularly acute for renters, single-parent families and young-to-middle-aged adults.
Members of younger generations who believe that income inequality is too large were 40 per cent less likely than baby boomers and older generations to have a great sense of belonging in Australia, the report found.
What else did the report find?
“The stability of social cohesion may seem surprising in the face of these tumultuous times but perhaps reflects the continuity of daily life and the resilience of social bonds and connections that shape our everyday lives,” they wrote.
Source: SBS News / Data from Scanlon Foundation Research Institute
Another domain used to calculate social cohesion is ‘acceptance and rejection’, which includes experiences of discrimination and attitudes to immigration and diversity.
“In a world deeply polarised over attitudes to migration, recognition of the contribution of immigrants to Australian society and general support for diversity and multiculturalism has been a source of strength in recent years, though now strained by current events and the persistence of discrimination and racism,” they wrote.
