CANBERRA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- A survey found that almost three-quarters of Australians believe the country is more divided than it was a year ago.
According to the survey, conducted by independent think tank McKinnon, 41.9 percent of Australians strongly agree the country is more divided than 12 months ago, and another 32.5 percent said they somewhat agree.
The proportion of respondents who said they were either very or somewhat satisfied with the way Australia is heading declined from 28.8 percent in 2025 to 26.1 percent in 2026, while the proportion of those who said they are very dissatisfied rose by 7.2 percentage points.
The survey, which was conducted in June and July, polled over 4,000 people on their views about the Australian political system, leaders and institutions.
It found that 30.5 percent of respondents said they have a high degree of trust in federal politicians, down from 35.9 percent in 2025, while the proportion who said they have a high degree of trust in political parties fell from 31.2 percent to 24.4 percent.
"Australians have considerably more confidence in the institutions of democracy than they do in the politics conducted within them," John Thwaites, McKinnon's interim executive chair and former deputy premier of the state of Victoria, said.
"One of the findings I found most striking is the divide by education. Satisfaction with democracy is 59 percent among Australians with a university degree or higher. Among Australians whose highest qualification is high school or below, it is just 39.7 percent."
Asked if they feel understood and represented by Australia's federal politicians, 34.6 percent of respondents said they strongly disagree compared to 27.0 percent in 2025.
The proportion of respondents who said they have a low degree of trust in the federal government increased from 46.3 percent in 2025 to 52.8 percent in 2026. ■