ABC to air findings of Australia Talks survey Monday June 21st

Australia Talks is a unique project that captures a snapshot of the nation at this point in history. The ABC asked 60,000 Australians a range of 600 questions about issues that matter to Australians, and some that don’t. The massive project culminates in a TV event on Monday 21 June at 8pm, hosted by Annabel Crabb and Nazeem Hussain, and will reveal:

• The top 3 issues that unite and divide the nation
• How Covid has affected our friendships and family
• Who’s keeping secrets that could end their relationships
• Who’s having the most sex
• And even how often Aussies change their sheets

The 90-minute special will feature contributions from Australians including Hamish Blake, Tanya Hennessy, Tony Armstrong, Sabrina Frederick, Nina Oyama, Jenna Owen and Victoria Zerbst. 

The program will also include a special report on political accountability and feature a special interview with former Prime Minister, the Hon. John Howard.

Discover what your neighbours think, what other states reckon, and exactly what the whole country believes is the right way forward after a pandemic that has affected us all. 

Before you watch, see where you fit at abc.net.au/australiatalks

Professor Alex Haslam from the University of Queensland, who was part of the academic advisory committee for the project, says that since the first Australia Talks survey in 2019, “I would characterise some of the changes here as close to seismic.” 

He says the survey shows “a real strengthening of concern, across the country and across the political spectrum” when it comes to issues like climate change and inequality.

“At one level this can be linked to specific events (for example, the treatment of women in Parliament), but it can also be argued that the pandemic has brought this into greater focus — not only by highlighting inequality but also by increasing it,” he says.

“While, methodologically, we can’t pin any of the changes we see in the data on particular events, we can say that the dial has moved substantially on a lot of issues.”