Australians are less likely to trust each other than they were in 2020, with interpersonal trust falling to the lowest level this decade, according to the June 2026 ANUpoll.
Analysis of the latest ANUpoll of more than 3,500 adults also shows that levels of wellbeing among Australians remain stable, but at a low base. And while many Australians are critical of how democracy is working in Australia, in principle support for democracy remains strong.
"Worryingly, interpersonal trust among Australians has fallen to 5.32 on a scale of 0 to 10, the lowest value recorded in ANUpoll during the 2020s, Professor Nicholas Biddle, Head of the ANU School of Politics and International Relations, said.
"This sits below the pre-COVID value of 5.53 recorded in October 2019 and reverses the increase in trust observed during the pandemic."
Researchers measured interpersonal trust by asking three questions:
1. Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted, or that you can't be too careful in dealing with people?
2. Do you think that most people would try to take advantage of you if they got the chance, or would they try to be fair?
3. Would you say that most of the time people try to be helpful or that they are mostly looking out for themselves?
"All three underlying measures declined, with the sharpest fall in the proportion saying that most people can be trusted. As with other measures tracked in the ANUpoll, trust is higher among older Australians, degree holders and the employed," Professor Biddle said.
General wellbeing
Life satisfaction in Australia remained flat between March and June 2026, at 6.22 out of 10 in both waves of the ANUpoll.
Financial stress was similarly stable. With 33 per cent finding it difficult or very difficult on their current income in June, compared to 34.9 per cent in March.
March and June 2026 remain the only two quarters since January 2020 in which more Australians were dissatisfied than satisfied with the direction of the country.
Views on democracy
Satisfaction with the way democracy works in Australia fell significantly between March and June from 65.7 to 62.8 per cent. This was the lowest reading since the question began to be asked regularly in January 2023.
"Principled support for democracy, by contrast, held steady and has increased significantly over the past year, from 66.9 per cent in May 2025 to 72.0 per cent in June 2026," Professor Biddle said.
"Australians are becoming more critical of how democracy is being delivered without withdrawing their commitment to democracy itself.
"Agreement with core democratic norms, such as that no one should be above the law, remains very high and largely unchanged since March."
The research paper, Steady, but not recovering: Wellbeing, Democratic Attitudes, and Interpersonal Trust in Australia , is published on the ANU website .
