Challenges to Australian Democratic Principles

Question 1

Civic knowledge and education

Answer 1

• People who received civic education tend to participate more in democratic activities
• 28% of those with civic education shared political opinions online, compared to 11% of those without civic education​

Question 2

Sources of information

Answer 2

• Trust in Information Sources:
  
  • Most Trusted: Scientific/academic reports (61%), friends and family (56%), government sources (53%)​
  • Least Trusted: Social media (18%)
• Impact of Trust on Satisfaction: Higher trust in information sources correlates with higher satisfaction with democracy. Satisfied individuals showed 65% trust in sources compared to 24% among dissatisfied individuals

Question 3

Social capital

Answer 3

• Participation in Social Activities:
  
  • Highest: Sports/recreation (39%)
  • Lowest: Political events (7%)
• Impact on Democratic Satisfaction: Participation in social events organized by external groups is linked to higher satisfaction with democracy. 63% of participants in such events were satisfied, compared to 51% who did not participate​
• Trust Levels:
  
  • High Trust: Family (81%), friends (75%), known individuals (66%)​
  • Low Trust: Neighbors, different nationalities/ethnicities/religions, and first-time acquaintances​
• Trust and Democratic Satisfaction: 65% of those who trust others are satisfied with democracy, compared to 48% with distrust​

Question 4

Wellbeing and life events

Answer 4

• Factors Affecting Satisfaction with Democracy:
  
  • Demographics: Women, low-income individuals, regional residents, and people aged 55-64 showed lower satisfaction
  • Media Usage: Individuals who did not use public media in the last year reported lower satisfaction
  • Citizenship: Australian-born individuals expressed less satisfaction compared to immigrants​
• Life Events and Disadvantaged Groups:
  
  • Socially Isolated: 25% satisfaction level​
  • Financial Hardship: 24% satisfaction level
  • Other Disadvantaged Groups: Self-employed (23%), unable to work (23%), facing discrimination (21%), with disabilities (21%), with mental health conditions (20%), and education lower than Year 12 (16%)​
• Home Ownership: 65% of property owners were satisfied with democracy, compared to 53% of renters​

Question 5

Levels of participation

Answer 5

• Types of Participation:
  
  • Voting: Most common (52% in state/territory elections, 37% in local elections)
  • Petition Signing: 28% of respondents signed petitions
  • Less Common Activities: Attending protests/marches (10%), being part of political/advocacy groups (10%), attending council meetings (10%), commenting on public consultations (10%)​
• Non-Participation: 24% of respondents did not participate in any civic activities in the past year
• Barriers to Participation:
  
  • Lack of Interest: 29% not interested in civic activities​
  • Perceived Impact: 24% believe their participation would not make a difference​
  • Time Constraints: 23% cited lack of time as a barrier

Answer 6

• Corruption and Integrity:
  
  • Corruption and integrity are significant concerns, reflecting public apprehension about the democratic process.
• Fairness:
  
  • Fairness in the democratic process is a major concern, with many people feeling that the system may not be equitable.
• Foreign Interference:
  
  • Foreign interference is another critical issue, with respondents worried about external influences on domestic politics.
• Satisfaction and Trust in Democracy:
• Dissatisfaction with Democracy:
  
  • Statistics: 24% of respondents believe their participation would have little impact on democratic processes .
  • Statistics: Lack of time is cited by 23% as a reason for not participating in civic affairs .
• Need for Reform:
  
  • Statistics: 28% of respondents think it is necessary to build upon existing structures to improve democracy .
  • Statistics: 12% believe in starting anew with a different system to improve democracy .
  • Statistics: 51% are unsure about how to improve democracy, indicating significant uncertainty and concern .
• These statistics underscore the complexity of public sentiment towards democracy in Australia, highlighting issues such as corruption, integrity, fairness, and foreign interference as critical areas of concern. The data also suggests a notable portion of the population is uncertain about the future direction of democratic reforms.