Many day-to-day experiences are thought to create a sense of belonging: practising religion, joining a sporting club, or simply having positive interactions with people in the neighbourhood. Being a citizen can also help people feel like they belong to a national community.
But evidence from the Mapping Social Cohesion surveys shows that identifying with Australia may not be the strong source of ‘belongingness’ it once was—and some groups could be feeling particularly isolated.
In this fourth issue of the Social Cohesion Insights series, John van Kooy explores what it means to have a ‘sense of belonging’ in Australia and asks, how might we derive greater meaning from our social interactions?
You can view a PDF version HERE.
