Story pitch

Australia tends to measure its progress through the lens of income, employment and economic growth. However, another indicator of progress, connection, is not always apparent. This data story is based on Australian Bureau of Statistics General Social Survey data and explores the topic of connection over the dimensions of time, generation and gender. The analysis is based on data on social group activity, interactions within families and friends, loneliness, volunteering, and factors explaining the absence of volunteers. Overall, the results seem to indicate that the “fortunate country” image does not apply if the connection is weakening for many Australians. It is important to note that the issue is not about losing interest in connecting but rather about transforming connection through various aspects.

Chart 1 — Social connection has weakened over time

The first chart below shows that a number of different ways to connect socially have been reduced since 2006. Thus, the story is positioned as something bigger than just the temporary pandemic-related phenomenon.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia, 2025, Table 20.1.

Chart 2 — Social connection is uneven across age groups

The next chart below presents diagnostic information by contrasting several types of connections based on the generation someone belongs to. In this way, it becomes clear that the problem is multidimensional, as some age categories claim to have good social support, yet lack other forms of engagement.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia, 2025, Table 2.3.

Chart 3 — Loneliness is gendered as well as age-based

National averages can be quite misleading when discussing different social phenomena. That is why the next chart looks at only those members of society who often experience extreme loneliness.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia, 2025, Table 2.3.

Chart 4 — Volunteering is only one part of community contribution

While formal volunteering is minimal among those aged between 25 and 34 years, informal volunteering and unpaid help provide a more complicated pattern. In this way, the problem will not be blamed on an individual but viewed through a wider lens.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia, 2025, Table 10.3.

Chart 5 — Non-volunteering is often about barriers, not apathy

The last chart turns the diagnostic into an explanatory narrative and highlights the relationship between non-volunteering and four main barriers that vary depending on age.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia, 2025, Table 13.3.

Overall takeaway

All five figures prove that the issue of social connection in Australia cannot be addressed as a one-size-fits-all problem because it has multiple causes. Indeed, indicators of long-term involvement have deteriorated, the prevalence of loneliness differs from age group to age group and from men to women, and volunteer statistics indicates that civic involvement is unable to reflect all community activities. Therefore, social connections must be considered an element of national wellbeing.

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2026). General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia, 2025. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/general-social-survey-summary-results-australia/latest-release

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2025). Social connections. Measuring What Matters. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/measuring-what-matters/measuring-what-matters-themes-and-indicators/cohesive/social-connections

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2026). Social isolation and loneliness. https://www.aihw.gov.au/mental-health/topic-areas/social-isolation-and-loneliness

Acknowledgements

This assignment used publicly available data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Generative AI was used as a planning and coding support tool to help structure the data. story, identify suitable ABS tables,draft R code and the final interpretation, chart review, source checking and submission decisions were completed by me.