Introduction

Seventeen years ago, when the first Eye on Australia was conducted, Australia was on the brink of major changes: beginning to forge trade links with Asia, about to recognise native title, soon to oust the Labor government and turn to more than a decade of conservative rule. It was a time of harsh economic conditions and community dissatisfaction.

Through the major events of the last 17 years, Eye has tracked Australia’s highs and lows from the euphoria of Sydney 2000 to the dark days following 9/11. This year, once more, the study takes the temperature of the Australian public, at a time when significant change is once more in the air. We have a new federal government and the economic landscape is shifting, with the apparent end of low interest rates and high growth.

Surprisingly, we remain satisfied with our lives and cautiously optimistic about the future. We’re working harder and, while the economic outlook sometimes keeps us awake at night, we still feel as if we’re in control. We’re getting on with life, focusing on ourselves and our families and, perhaps, disengaging from some of the scarier issues ‘out there’.

Since 1992, Eye on Australia has interviewed nearly 10,000 Australians, including some 700 in 2008. Respondents were chosen at random from city and regional areas and the research was then weighted to make it demographically representative. Interviews were conducted in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra as well as regional New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.

The 2008 study has been supplemented with in-depth ethnographic interviews in peoples’ homes to provide greater insights into the thinking and responses of consumers.

The research sample comprises:

50/50 male and female split Household income from $25,000 to $100,000+

Aged between 18 and 65+

Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra and Regional NSW, VIC and QLD
Generational splits:

Pre-Baby Boomers born 1944 or before, aged 63 or over

Baby Boomers born 1945-1962, aged 45-62

Gen X – born 1963-1975, aged 32-44

Gen Y – born 1976 or after, aged 18-31

Sweeney Research conducted the quantitative field work and contributed to data analysis.