Australians are feeling less secure and less optimistic about the future, but growing economic anxiety must not become an excuse to blame migration or multiculturalism for the pressures facing the country, non-profit SSI has warned.
The Scanlon Foundation’s Mapping Social Cohesion 2026 report paints a picture of a country under significant economic and social pressure, but also highlights the resilience of local communities. Almost half (48%) of Australians are pessimistic about Australia’s future, while 30 per cent say they have sometimes or often gone without meals, been unable to pay rent or a mortgage, gone without heating or cooling, or been unable to pay for medicines or healthcare in the past year.
SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis AM said when people are struggling with housing, cost of living and their own financial security, it is understandable that their confidence in the future suffers.
“The risk is that this very real anxiety gets reduced to a story about migration or multiculturalism, rather than prompting us to look seriously at what is making people feel less secure and less hopeful,” she said.
“But we need to be careful that this anxiety doesn't turn into a blame game over migration or multiculturalism. We need to address the underlying pressures, not look for simplistic fixes or scapegoats.”
That distinction is particularly important in light of the report’s findings on social cohesion. While 62 per cent of Australians believe social cohesion has declined over the past three or four years, the Scanlon Index of Social Cohesion recorded a score of 78 in 2026, the same as in each of the past four years.
“There is a striking gap between how Australians feel about the state of the country and what we see happening within communities,” Ms Roumeliotis said.
“Australians are less optimistic and many believe we are becoming less cohesive. But the headline measure of social cohesion has remained stable for four years, which tells us something about the strength of our communities.
“That doesn’t mean there aren’t warning signs or real challenges. It means we need to understand what is sitting beneath people’s pessimism rather than assuming that diversity itself is the problem.”
Support for immigration and multiculturalism has fallen, but Australians still feel good about their own neighbourhoods. The report found 81 per cent of Australians agree their neighbours are willing to help each other, while 79 per cent say people from different national and ethnic backgrounds get along well in their neighbourhoods.
“There is a real disconnect between the national conversation about migration and multiculturalism and what Australians experience in their own neighbourhoods.
“We should take concerns about migration seriously, just as we should take concerns about housing, infrastructure and services seriously. But we need to be careful not to blame migration for every pressure Australians are experiencing.
“The research tells us Australians overwhelmingly continue to believe migrants can be good citizens and that cultural sameness is not what holds a society together.”
SSI and more than 60 organisations across business, civil society, multicultural, regional and migration sectors have called for a National Migration Summit to move beyond short-term political debates and develop a long-term approach to migration that works for all Australians.
Ms Roumeliotis said the findings strengthened the case for a more mature national conversation about migration.
“Precisely because Australians are anxious and attitudes towards migration are changing, we need a serious, evidence-led conversation about what Australia needs from its migration system.
“That means talking honestly about population alongside housing and infrastructure, but also about workforce shortages, productivity, our ageing population, regional communities, settlement and social cohesion.
“A National Migration Summit would bring government, business, unions, experts and communities together to confront these trade-offs and develop a long-term plan that works for all Australians.
“Dismissing people’s concerns won’t strengthen social cohesion, and neither will looking for simple scapegoats for complex problems. A National Migration Summit is an opportunity to move beyond that and develop a shared, long-term vision.”
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Settlement Services International (SSI) delivers a range of human services that connect individuals, families, and children from diverse backgrounds with opportunities - including settlement support, disability programs, community engagement initiatives and training and employment pathways. At the heart of everything we do is a drive for equality, empathy, and celebration of every individual.
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