Party's over: In a nation of cynics, we're flocking to the fringe

Updated

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most cynical of us all?

Poll after poll shows satisfaction with the political system has plunged to unprecedented lows, in a nation not exactly known for its patriotic fervour.

And while Australians may pride themselves on being a cynical bunch, new research has revealed deep divisions between those content with the status quo and a growing underbelly for whom Australian democracy is quickly losing its shine.

Delving into the differences between more than 20 demographic groups, the research from the Museum of Australian Democracy and University of Canberra found distrust and disillusionment surpassed 80 per cent among some communities, while in others, more than 60 per cent remained happy with the current system.

So, are you more cynical than a swinging voter? More satisfied than the rich? Or more apathetic than Generation X? To see whether you're more trusting or cynical than other Australians, take our quiz below. (You'll need about 2 minutes.)

And rest assured your answers are not linked to your identity, nor will they be stored or passed on to anyone else. You trust us… right?

This feature isn't available on the ABC app. Tap the link below to go to the quiz on the ABC website or scroll past to keep reading about the research.

The quiz above includes about one third of the questions researchers posed to a nationally-representative sample of more than 1,000 Australians in July this year.

Their findings paint a vivid picture of just how disenchanted we are with our elected representatives.

Most Australians no longer trust any tier of government: federal, state or local council.

Government ministers and members of parliament — trusted by less than one in four — now rank as the least trusted compared to others such as GPs, judges, business people, journalists or trade unionists.

And the federal government is trusted by just 31 per cent of the population, while state and local government perform little better, at just over 35 per cent.

Notably, the survey was done before the most recent federal leadership bloodbath and in the midst of a record run of nearly three decades of economic growth.

"It's unusual to see such a crisis in political trust when the economy is going so well," said Professor Mark Evans from the University of Canberra's Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis, which conducted the research.

"We are witnessing a vicious cycle of distrust and alienation from politics and the formal democratic process."

We've abandoned party allegiances

The research reveals two shifts: most voters care more about effective and competent government than promises of more dollars in their pockets; and many are voting tactically for independents. This became clear during focus group discussions, which were also part of the research.

"Voters were saying politicians only care about marginal seats… So they said they voted for independents to attract more resources to their communities," Professor Evans said.

"This is a huge wake-up call for Australia's major political parties. They must adapt or die because the new reality is that up to 60 per cent of voters have become swinging, non-aligned voters."

Attitudes to political leadership are also becoming more polarised around age, income and political preference.

Those more likely to feel satisfied with the status quo include National or Liberal Party voters, households earning more than $200,000 a year, university graduates and baby boomers (defined as those aged between 56 and 73).

At the opposite end of the spectrum, dissatisfaction is most widespread among people aged in their 40s (Generation X), women and households struggling on less than $50,000 a year.

The most disillusioned are also more likely to vote for independent candidates or minor parties like One Nation or Centre Alliance (Nick Xenophon's former party) — or to be unaligned to any party.

These non-aligned voters could make up 30 per cent of the electorate, Professor Evans said. They are deeply distrustful not only of politicians, but almost every major institution and authority figure included in the survey. The exception was their local GP.

Given 15 options to describe what they like about Australian democracy, their most common response was "None of the above".

These non-aligned voters are "the most challenged group in our society", Professor Evans said.

"A significant proportion would be on welfare or low incomes and they're increasingly alienated and angry — just like many Trump and Brexit voters."

Social trust is also falling

Social trust between people has fallen below 50 per cent — to 47 per cent — for the first time since 2001, when researchers first posed the question. Most believe that people are out for themselves, although a majority — apart from the wealthiest households — still believe people in their neighbourhood would help others out.

It's a worrying picture, Professor Evans said. Declining political trust can threaten social cohesion and increase marginalisation. "It opens up more space for extreme left and extreme right… People will increasingly look outside the system for their own answers."

But if there's one thing that unites Australians of all types, it's complaining about their elected leaders. The three biggest grievances?

That politicians are not accountable for broken promises, they don't deal with the issues that really matter, and big business has too much power. (Liberal and National Party voters single out trade unions instead of big business.)

The research identifies a growing public appetite for reform, including involving ordinary citizens in more decisions.

But how likely is it that politicians and political parties would adopt reforms that undermine their powerbrokers?

As fate would have it, Professor Evans was in Canberra briefing federal politicians on the survey's grim findings on the day of the first leadership spill.

"They think all they need to do is to get back to more stable government," he said. "But it goes deeper than that now.

"Most Australians simply don't think that they care about them."

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Topics: society, political-parties, government-and-politics, federal-government, academic-research, forms-of-government, local-government, social-policy, community-and-society, australia

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