The thirteenth edition of the Mapping Social Cohesion research came in a year like no other.
In 2020, in the context of the dislocation of Australian society by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute conducted not one, but two national surveys – in July and November – using the Social Research Centre’s probability-based Life in Australia panel (LinA).
Societies faced with crisis may for a time experience increased cohesion, as people respond to a common threat through mutual support. On the other hand, societies under pressure may fracture, as its members turn inward, focusing on people to blame, and searching for scapegoats.
Which way has Australia gone? Have we come together, or have we fractured? What do the 2020 survey findings reveal about the character of Australian society during an unprecedented global pandemic?
Drawing on more than a decade of benchmarking data collected in previous Scanlon surveys, the 2020 Mapping Social Cohesion Report provides insight into the resilience of Australian society when faced with a major crisis.
Access the full report here or for more information, visit https://scanloninstitute.org.au/report2020