Financial hardship is straining young Australians' relationships with democracy, as less than half express support for our system of government, new research has found.
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Polling from the Australian National University across 2025 showed only 43 per cent of surveyed 18 to 24-year-olds believed it was the best form of government, despite national levels remaining high.
There was slightly more support from those 25 to 34, at 56 per cent; however, that was still 15 per cent below the average of all other age groups.
The warning signs of declining trust in democracy have been looming for some time.
A series of Redbridge surveys, released this year and last, showed Gen Z and Millennials rated housing affordability and cost of living as the biggest voting issues.
They also showed both generations thought the issues were barely being dealt with in the existing political system.
But more recently, social cohesion, defined in the ANU report as allowing genuine belonging and participation in society, has become a front-running concern, eclipsing even education levels in people's sentiment towards democracy.
Measurements of social cohesion included questions on economic stability and social mobility, which were the key factors in Gen Z's democratic satisfaction levels.
Only 40 per cent of those aged 18 to 24 felt everyone had a fair economic chance in Australia. Most also believed economic hardship, which many of them were experiencing, weakened democracy.
"Financial stress has only a modest association with principled support for democracy, but a substantial association with how well democracy is perceived to be working," the report read.
It warned that a continually weakened economy would put support for democracy at substantial risk, particularly as Gen Z and Millennials are now the biggest voting cohort.
"The consensus is markedly weaker among specific groups, particularly younger Australians with lower levels of education, those experiencing economic insecurity, and those with low institutional trust.
"The cross-government policy and programs should incorporate support for democracy not as a background constant, but as a socially uneven resource that requires an active policy focus," the report said.
Lucinda Garbutt-Young
Lucinda Garbutt-Young is a public sector and federal politics reporter. She was previously The Canberra Times' property reporter and national video lead, after coming to the capital via the Newcastle Herald. Got a tip? Email her at l.garbutt-young@austcommunitymedia.com.au
