Social cohesion

Social cohesion, social connection, and social capital are interrelated concepts that can support and enable a more resilient and healthier Australian society. ^{1, 2, 3}

Cohesion, defined as 'a society that supports connections with family, friends and the community, values diversity, and promotes belonging and culture', is identified as one of the five overarching themes in the national Measuring What Matters wellbeing framework. ¹⁸

The Australian Government is also actively working to strengthen cohesion through the dedicated Office for Social Cohesion, opens in a new tab.

People who perceive strong cohesion within their neighbourhoods and actively participate in their communities are more likely to feel a greater sense of belonging, trust others, be happy, and be more accepting of immigrants. ⁴

Sport can help support and develop elements of social cohesion and social capital, including: ^{9, 12, 13}

• connecting people to their communities
• increasing feelings of trust and belonging
• encouraging people to work together for mutual goals
• providing a network of relationships that can support people throughout their lives

In a survey of Australians aged over 18 years, many agreed that sport can play an important role in developing community cohesion, including: ¹⁴

• sport has a positive influence in their community (73%)
• sport can be a good way to meet people and make friends (73%)
• sport is a place people can feel a sense of belonging (68%)
• sport is important for bringing people together in their local communities (61%)
• sport is important to having a positive Australian national identity and culture (60%)
• sport is important to having an inclusive Australian society (58%)
• even people not directly involved themselves can benefit from sport in the wider community (54%)

Community cohesion

Sport has the capacity to reach and engage with people across the whole of Australian society. Various reports and measures consistently show that the sport sector is one of, if not the, most common settings for social and civic participation in Australia, including:

• In 2025, 42% of Australians participated in sport or physical activity through an organisation. ¹⁶
• In 2024, 30% of Australians who participated in social groups did so through sport or recreation activities. ⁷
• In 2025, 33% of Australians who volunteered through an organisation chose activities related to sport and physical recreation. ¹⁷

Australia’s national wellbeing framework, Measuring What Matters, includes several measures where the sport sector can have a significant impact: ¹⁸

• Spending time participating in recreation and social activities, including sport, enriches people’s lives and contributes to social cohesion.
• Volunteering is a measure of social connection, which is essential for feeling satisfaction with life.
• While not explicitly noted in measurements, sport can also play a role in increasing the health of participants and their feelings of trust, inclusion, and safety in the community, which contribute to other wellbeing outcomes. ⁹

The shared camaraderie of watching or cheering for high-performance athletes and teams has a strong impact on developing community cohesion. Research suggests that certain groups within the community are more likely to feel pride and happiness from the achievements of elite athletes in international competitions, including: ^{14, 19, 20, 21, 22}

• individuals with lower educational levels and/or lower incomes
• those from culturally and racially diverse backgrounds
• older individuals.

Trust and community engagement

In 2019, over 30% of Australians surveyed agreed that local, state, and national sports organisations demonstrated leadership for the greater good to a ‘fairly large’ or ‘extremely large’ extent. ²³

Government investment in a wide variety of sports provides the opportunity to better engage with diverse communities and people from different cultural backgrounds, and encourages greater community inclusion and sense of belonging. ^{14, 19, 20, 24, 25}

People who are members of local sporting clubs are more likely to: ^{24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34}

• demonstrate greater trust in other people
• possess a stronger sense of belonging to their community
• form more close friendships
• have mixed-ethnic friendship groups
• achieve greater levels of life satisfaction, happiness and health
• possess a greater desire to give back to their community through volunteering.

In line with the ongoing UK Government’s Active Lives survey, a 2019 survey of South Australians aged 18 years and over found that those who were more physically active (through sport or other physical activities) and those who volunteered regularly in sport were more likely to agree that they: ^{35, 36}

• felt most people in their local area could be trusted
• felt safe walking in their local community after dark
• identified with their local community.