The three real values were honesty, equal opportunity, and freedom, and this was consistent across all generations, men and women, people with and without children, city and country people, and people born in Australia. or abroad.
However, beyond the three main values, the older generations were more aligned with what people perceived as national values.
Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) and Silent Generation (born between 1918 and 1945) give more weight to traditional values such as couple, nationalism, security and the rule of law.
Meanwhile, Generation Y (also known as Millennials and born between 1981 and 1996) and Z (born between 1997 and 2009) were more likely to value creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, success, and intellectualism. . Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) is in the middle.
Simon Kuestenmacher, co-founder of The Demographics Group, said the research showed that Australian values were changing and predicted notable changes as power shifted to Generation X.
“They were the first generation that had seen their mothers enter the workforce, so they are very passionate about gender equality in the workforce,” Kuestenmacher said.
Hannah Rayment, 33, lives temporarily with her parents John and Marea, aged 63 and 60, in Abbotsford.
Marea said she believes her family’s core values were family and connection, equal opportunity, friendship and loyalty, and that these principles were “fundamental to living a dignified life.” His family had always valued sustainability, so he didn’t see it just as a millennial value.
Marea and John, who are former police officers, saw how freedom was reduced during pandemic confinements, but said the value of freedom had a broader meaning.
“It’s financial freedom, it’s physical freedom, it’s health freedom, and it’s freedom to move without fear,” Marea said.
Hannah said her generation had taken the opportunity to travel and had a strong social awareness, with issues such as climate change and the women’s rights movement and Black Lives Matter.
“I think there are a lot more people who want to be activists and make a difference and make their voices heard,” Hannah said.
He said many Millennials would associate the word “motherhood” with Anzacs and soldiers and that it would not necessarily resonate, but they would still care about friendship and community.
The three main values were honesty, equal opportunity and freedom.
The research found that low-income households (up to $ 59,000 a year) gave more weight to tolerance, compassion, and tradition than the national average. Middle-income households (between $ 60,000 and $ 119,000 a year) place more emphasis on the responsibility of others, physical health and fitness, and equality. High-income households (above $ 120,000 a year) fostered intellectualism, entrepreneurship, success, and innovation.
Men were more likely to value partnerhood, the rule of law, tolerance, intellectualism, and creativity, and women were more likely to emphasize physical health and fitness, resilience, and sustainability.
The values of city dwellers and the people of the country were broadly similar, which Kuestenmacher said was due in part to regional migration and in part because the Internet meant that people consumed the same means regardless of where they lived.
However, he noted that men and women are increasingly not consuming the same media due to social media algorithms.
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People born abroad gave more weight to work ethic, safety, the rule of law, sustainability and responsibility to others than people born in Australia.
Contrary to stereotypes, people without children at home valued tolerance, compassion, and camaraderie more than people with children, while people with young children or adolescents at home placed more emphasis on success, intelligence, and understanding. lectualism and innovation.
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