In brief
An independent survey by the McKinnon think‑tank reports that 74% of Australians now believe the nation is more divided than a year ago, a figure echoed by other polls. Trust in federal politicians and political parties has fallen, while overall satisfaction with the country’s direction has slipped. The data highlight stark differences along education lines, with those holding university degrees reporting higher satisfaction with democracy than those with only high‑school qualifications.
In a September survey conducted by the McKinnon research institute, over 4,000 Australians answered that they feel the country is more divided now than 12 months ago, with 41.9% strongly agreeing and 32.5% somewhat agreeing – a cumulative 74.4% in line with polling reported by the Australian Sun‑Herald and the Indian outlet The Hawk.
The survey, carried out in June and July 2026, shows a continued erosion of public confidence in the political system. Trust in federal politicians dropped from 35.9% in 2025 to 30.5% this year, while trust in political parties fell from 31.2% to 24.4%. These declines mirror findings reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, which noted a significant plunge in the public’s trust in political leaders.
A key insight from the McKinnon poll is the widening gap by education level. Satisfaction with democracy among respondents holding a university degree or higher stands at 59%, whereas those whose highest qualification is high school or below report only 39.7% satisfaction, according to the Xinhua source. John Thwaites, McKinnon’s interim executive chair, remarked, “Australians have considerably more confidence in the institutions of democracy than they do in the politics conducted within them.”
“Australians have considerably more confidence in the institutions of democracy than they do in the politics conducted within them.”
John Thwaites
Another dimension of the survey highlights a decline in emotional connection to federal representations. Only 34.6% of respondents now strongly disagree that they feel understood and represented by national politicians, up from 27.0% in 2025. The proportion of people expressing low trust in the federal government increased from 46.3% to 52.8% within the same period, indicating a growing sense of disconnect.
In terms of overall mood toward the nation’s trajectory, satisfaction has slid from 28.8% in 2025 to 26.1% in 2026 among those who are very or somewhat satisfied with the country’s direction, while very dissatisfaction rose by 7.2 percentage points. The Sun‑Herald’s report echoed the 74% divide figure and noted similar drops in satisfaction and trust presented by the McKinnon survey.
While the polling data chart clear shifts in public sentiment over the past year, the sources do not identify the specific causes behind the widening division, the decline in trust, or the education‑based disparities. The survey blocks on the underlying drivers of these trends, leaving the reasons for reduced confidence and heightened polarisation open to interpretation.