Community belonging - the backbone of democracy

Strong democracies cannot exist without strong communities. Fundamentally interwoven, both are acutely fragile in 2024. To fortify the foundations, we must take a tactical and focussed lens to connection and belonging. 

Given we are still in recovery mode from the pandemic, it poses the question, does democracy have long COVID? 

Findings from the 2023 Mapping Social Cohesion Report from The Scanlon Foundation Research Institute speak to our growing fragility.  Australian’s sense of belonging declined four points from 2022 to 2023 representing the lowest figure since the report launched in 2007. In 2007, 78% of Australians felt a ‘great sense of belonging’. In 2023 that dropped to 46%. The decline in a sense of belonging will have a significant impact this year at local and state elections raising the aftershocks of the pandemic.

Psychology of predilections

Democracy is a smooth blend of cooperation, collaboration, communities and safe place for tough conversations. It is a secure station to coalesce community and sovereign issues to deliver equitable and fair policies and outcomes for all including the vulnerable.

Voters review their predilections as they weigh up their opinions of candidates and parties alongside their values, visions and policies. Whether or not a candidate is relatable or aspirational informs choices.  

British author and political activist George Monbiot is resolute that psychology is essential to unpick the values which drive voting choices. I couldn’t agree more with his tenets that people with intrinsic values lean into empathy, intimacy and self-acceptance. And that people magnetised by prestige, power, fame and wealth hold extrinsic values.   

He observes people holding extrinsic values are the most dissatisfied and angry and more likely to vote for Trump. A resilient democracy is one that can tolerate the extrinsic and generate intrinsic values.   

Equally I witness how rusted on extrinsic values can develop from a deep pit of insecurity and unmet needs which fuel more insecurity and community fragility.

Whilst we don’t have Trump in Australia, we do have candidates and their followers with extrinsic beliefs menacing communities and democracy.

On our doorstep

 If we are unable to knock on neighbours doors for that proverbial cup of sugar we risk total disengagement within our community’s thoughts, fears and needs.  

 Make no mistake, all the ingredients required to bake the democracy cake start close to our own doorsteps. They start with conversations over dinner, debates on public transport, yarns at a bar, school shop or a football field. They move to groups, organisations, party rooms and community clubs.

We must be in some kind of relationship with others to build trust and belonging.

Long Covid democracy aftermaths

Community life and democracy were seriously disrupted during COVID. Forcing us to stay inside the bubble of trusted family and friends was necessary to keep safe.  But it also weakened our democracy fitness muscle by turning away in droves from community connections and volunteering. Volunteering Australia reported COVID contributed significantly to a decline in volunteering.   

There is a clear relationship between volunteering to our democracy. Government elections are infrequent, but each volunteering hour requires voting with heads, hearts and hands for the community we want for the future. Volunteering has not returned to pre-pandemic levels contributing to the erosion of community and belonging.

We are still building back ways to connect with each other after the devastation of the pandemic. There is no strong democracy without strong community.

The ill-tempered disenfranchised

The pandemic tested democracies and whilst most survived in the moment, the long COVID impact may play out this year in elections. The ill-tempered, aspiring set with extrinsic values were often the same people who felt marginalised and disenfranchised during the COVID years. 

Councils around the country are reverting to closed or online only meetings, hiring extra security and a raft of other measures to keep democracy disruptors at bay.

Colloquially known as “sovereign citizens” their impact starts in neighbourhood groups scaling quickly by using the tools and techniques of social media and community events.  My own council chamber was violently invaded, death threats made and security escorts ramped up. The FBI in the US treat these movements as domestic terrorism.

Community gender & generation divides

In addition to the above melting pot, Australian communities also face generational and gender divides which will impact the shape of future democracies, Gen Z (20-29yo) make up 13.3% of the Australian population. The mix in regional and cities is comparable with 1.4 million voters being under 30.

Recent research by chief data reporter John Burn-Murdoch, found the gender democracy divide has young women sitting to the left of centre with young men moving further towards, or remaining conservative. 

And Gallup data from the US shows women aged 18 to 30 are now 30 percentage points more liberal than men of the same age. This would be comparable here in Australia. 

At the same time, the gender divide was playing out, where according to The Australia Institute there was a 7 percentage point gap between the male and female Coalition primary vote in the exit poll, 37% and 30% respectively

Dr Alice Evans, Visiting Fellow at Stanford University in What Prevents & What Drives Gendered Ideological Polarisation believes that greater gendered ideological polarisation is encouraged by feminised public cultures, economic resentment, social media filter bubbles and cultural entrepreneurs.

We must understand the interface of growing radicalisation, gendered polarisation and hateful content online and algorithms that drive to decimate democracy and community cohesion.

Democracy vaccination vials

Community resilience will surely be tested in 2024. But local governments have numerous places where belonging, resilience and trust can strengthened. They are abundant with community hubs in libraries, youth centres, ovals, ageing centres, neighbourhood houses, music labs, arts studios and all the other places we find people gathering.

Any democracy vaccination vial will need to deliver communities and spaces that support intrinsic values, without demonising those who are stressed, anxious or angry. 

Local government and communities are a critical carrier on the front line to save our fragile democracy. We must collaborate and fortify our sense of belonging as Australia’s future depends on it.