The Scanlon Foundation Research Institute has created the Social Cohesion Compass to enable individuals and organisations to research and plan programming to support social cohesion and democratic resilience. Democratic resilience refers to the capacity of Australia’s democratic institutions and processes to respond and adapt to ensure Australia can continue as a cohesive society.

The Social Cohesion Compass is a data visualisation tool that allows users to better understand how Local Government Areas (LGAs) are progressing when it comes to building democratic resilience and social cohesion.

The tool provides:

The following section presents indicators that are key to building democratic resilience.

Democracy Index (DI)

A Democracy Index (DI) was newly developed for this project with the help of the Social Research Centre. Based on Mapping Social Cohesion survey data, the DI aims to measure confidence in institutions and political participation. For example, it includes data on trust in government and electoral participation.

To learn more about the current DI used for this tool refer to Appendix 3.

Scanlon – Monash Index (SMI)

The Scanlon-Monash Index of Social Cohesion (SMI) provides an overview in the five core domains of social cohesion: Belonging, Worth, Social Inclusion and Justice, Participation, and Acceptance and Rejection.

The search and filter function allows users to choose a Local Government Area and view its Scanlon-Monash Index (SMI) and Democracy Index (DI) scores. These scores are each presented alongside the difference from the national mean. In addition, the section shows relevant socio-demographic information.

Program Design Considerations

The tool allows users to select target cohorts by demographic and be provided with recommendations. This includes program components and focus areas to strengthen and improve social cohesion and democratic resilience. (Note: Programs are tailored to cohort selections and not Local Government Data. Data for Local Government Areas with < 1000 in population will not be displayed).

It is difficult to assess whether the scores for the Scanlon-Monash Index (SMI) (including its domain scores) and the Democracy Index (DI) are “high” or “low”. To help with the interpretation of SMI and DI scores, they should be considered in the context of the national averages and the range of scores across all LGAs. Scores for the SMI (including its domain scores) and DI can theoretically range from 0 to 100. However, in practice, scores have much narrower ranges. In 2022, the national average was 51.92 for SMI and 47.23 for DI. The SMI ranged from 47.84 to 54.34 and the Democracy Index ranged from 41.1 to 50.6.

Comparative data is available between Local Government Areas for the Scanlon-Monash Index and its five domains of social cohesion: Belonging, Worth, Social Inclusion and Justice, Participation, and Acceptance and Rejection.

Filter by State and Local Government Areas to compare domains and use the arrows on the bottom page to view the six different datasets.

The scatterplot shows the relationship between political participation and education and between political participation and income, across Local Government Areas.

Each circle represents one Local Government Area (Note: the colours of the dots are intended to help distinguish one from the other).

The name of the Local Government Areas and more demographic information can be seen by hovering over each circle. Use the arrows on the bottom page to view the five different datasets

Democracy

According to the Australian Parliamentary Education Office:

A democratic country has a system of government in which the people have the power to participate in decision-making. Such a country also has four key components: 

• Active and engaged citizens
• An inclusive and equitable society
• Free and franchised elections
• The rule of law for both citizens and the government.

More information on Democracy can be found in our Mapping Social Cohesion Report. 

Democracy Index (DI)

A Democracy Index (DI)* was newly developed for this project with the help of the Social Research Centre. Based on Mapping Social Cohesion survey data, the DI aims to measure confidence in institutions and political participation. For example, it includes data on trust in government as well as electoral participation.

To learn more about the current DI used for this tool refer to Appendix 3.

Social Cohesion

To the Institute, social cohesion  is not about having diversity but about how the community operates together in a diverse society. To this end, Dick Stanley’s concise definition, “the willingness of members of society to cooperate with each other in order to survive and prosper”, is a standard the Institute supports.

Scanlon – Monash Index (SMI)

The Scanlon-Monash Index of Social Cohesion (SMI) provides an overview of the five core domains of social cohesion: Belonging, Worth, Social Inclusion and Justice, Participation, and Acceptance and Rejection.

Program Components

The tool provides guidance on the elements that should underpin social cohesion and democratic resilience programs. More information on these can be found in the Appendix 5.

The Social Cohesion Compass serves as a resource for information and analysis, but users should exercise caution when drawing conclusions or making decisions based on the presented data.

Users are advised to consider the following:

1. Interpretation: The tool provides visual representations of data, but interpretations should be made with an understanding of the context and subject matter expertise. Visualisations may highlight patterns, but additional analysis and validation may be needed for drawing insights.
2. Evolving Data: Data can evolve, and the tool may not reflect real-time changes.

By using this data visualisation tool, users acknowledge and accept these disclaimers. The platform and its developers are not liable for any decisions or actions taken by users based on the information provided through the tool. It is recommended to use the tool as a supplementary resource in conjunction with other analytical methods and expert consultation for comprehensive insights.