Australia’s life dissatisfaction levels double as ‘wellbeing poverty’ reaches new highs
Summary
Nearly 2.2 million Australians are living below the wellbeing poverty line, with the number of people feeling very dissatisfied with life doubling in the past ten years. This increase in low life satisfaction began during the 2020 Covid lockdowns and has continued due to rising living costs and economic challenges.Key Facts
- About 9.7% of Australians aged 15 and older rated their life satisfaction as 4 or below out of 10 in 2025, up from 4.8% in 2014.
- Life dissatisfaction surged during the Covid lockdowns and remained high because of a sharp increase in the cost of living.
- People with low life satisfaction tend to feel isolated, powerless, and less supportive of multiculturalism.
- Only 15% of people in wellbeing poverty feel they have a say in community matters, compared to 32% of all Australians.
- The national economy is stagnant, with incomes adjusted for inflation the same as in mid-2020, and experts expect a economic slowdown with low growth and high inflation.
- Rising prices for essentials like electricity, insurance, and healthcare have hit lower-income households especially hard.
- Research shows higher wages for top earners grew more than twice as fast as for low earners in the past decade.
- Housing issues are seen as a major cause of reduced life satisfaction because many people struggle to achieve home ownership.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
