The Australia Cohesion Index 2023 is a critical barometer of the health, wellbeing and connectedness of Australian society. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data from multiple sources, the Australian Cohesion Index provides comprehensive information to track our national progress on multiple personal, social and societal domains.

The 2023 report is the second edition of the Australian Cohesion Index, after its inaugural launch as part of the Mapping Social Cohesion 2021 study. In the 2023 report, researchers build on the findings of the inaugural edition with new data and research covering the period from approximately 2008 to 2022. They use the same 10 domains as were used in 2021, covering a diverse range of topics from income and wealth to education, health, participation and the sense of belonging, worth and social inclusion and justice.

This report is designed to present the results in each domain of the Australian Cohesion Index and perhaps more importantly, elaborate on the intersections and connections between domains. In particular, the researchers draw on quantitative and qualitative data, as well as some of the national and international research in this field, to explain how our attitudes and perceptions of social cohesion in Australia are connected to substantive outcomes, behaviours and experiences in health, education, employment, community engagement and the economy. These analyses provide important pillars in bridging our understanding between social cohesion and overall collective wellbeing.