News.com.au has launched its second The Great Aussie Debate, a nationwide survey to discover what makes Australians tick, from the light-hearted to the serious and everything in between.
Over the coming weeks, the news publisher will invite its audience of more than 12 million Australians to answer questions designed to reveal fact from fiction, exploring the nation’s habits and behaviours as well as share their views on a range of topics across finance, parenting, dating and sex, sport and health. With questions including:
• What salary do you need to be ‘rich’ in Australia in 2025?
• Do you answer your boss’ calls/texts/emails after hours?
• What is Australia’s premier sporting event?
Kerry Warren, news.com.au editor, said: “We knew we were onto a winner when we came up with The Great Aussie Debate in 2023, but even we were surprised by how Australians responded to it – it took less than two weeks to get 50,000 responses to the 50-question survey, which blew us away.
“This year, we’re back, to take the pulse of all Aussies as we confront an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, geopolitical unrest and another federal election.
“But while we’re asking Aussies the big questions, we’re also getting stuck into some lighter ones, that cut to the heart of what it means to be Australian in 2025, and I can’t wait to see how the nation responds.”
Kerry Warren
Ahead of this year’s The Great Aussie Debate news.com.au took a pulse survey of 1,870 respondents to get an early feel for some of the burning questions. Findings include:
• Sentiment for Australia Day is particularly strong among Boomers (81 per cent) and older Australians aged over 75 (84 per cent), however this attitude isn’t shared by younger generations, with only one in four twenty-somethings planning to observe the day.
• Australians aged over 75 (56 per cent) and Boomers (42 per cent) make up the majority of Australians who believe working in the office full time is best, whereas flexible work is still favoured by younger workers; though one in four Gen Z and Millennials agree with their grandparents and are anti-working from home.
Journalist Andrew Bucklow said The Great Aussie Debate offered a rare glimpse into the raw thoughts of everyday Australians.
“Everyone sees Australia through a different lens, and this survey invites us to share our differing opinions. That’s what makes our nation great – we’re rich in diversity, so I’m excited to see how these different perspectives clash and converge. This will truly spark a thought-provoking conversation.”
The national survey insights will be used to tell the story of where Australia is at this point in time. The Great Aussie Debate is now live.