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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/23/social-cohesion-under-strain-as-equality-climate-and-inflation-woes-heighten-australians-fears-research-finds>
"We all remember the dark days early in the coronavirus pandemic. People died.
Businesses were disrupted as the economy went into hibernation. Workers and
school students stayed home to suppress the rate of new infections.
But Australians also rallied during the crisis. Social cohesion spiked. This
fascinating development was captured during the peak of the pandemic by the
Scanlon Foundation’s Social Cohesion reports – a research project that has
mapped the mood of a multicultural nation since 2007.
But the zeitgeist has shifted in 2022.
The latest Scanlon survey, to be released Wednesday, suggests social cohesion
in Australia is now at a tipping point.
Despite the fact that more Australians died from Covid in August 2022 than any
month of the pandemic, anxiety about the biggest health crisis in a century has
been replaced by the spectre of war in Ukraine, regional geopolitical
instability, climate crisis and economic turbulence.
Inflation has roared back, increasing the price of food, power and petrol.
Australians are worried about the rising cost of living and the risk of
recession. This shift in priorities is significant because Scanlon notes
financial wellbeing is the strongest predictor of social cohesion identified in
the survey.
The 2022 survey shows levels of national pride, belonging and a sense of social
justice in Australia are lower now than they were before the pandemic.
Australia’s pandemic response boosted a sense of national belonging, but that’s
now lower than at any point in the Mapping Social Cohesion series.
The new research notes social inclusion and justice in Australia increased
strongly during the pandemic “probably reflecting a positive public response to
government measures to protect health and financial wellbeing”. Fiscal support
– like Jobkeeper and Jobseeker – was a leveller; people worried less about
people trying to get by on very low incomes. But with that safety net gone,
Australians are worried their country is becoming more economically unequal."
Based on this information, I believe a Guaranteed Living Income aka Universal
Basic Income would also help with social cohesion.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
