Research in partnership with

About the index

The Australian Resilience Index – the first comprehensive, quantitative assessment of its kind – draws on over 2 million public and proprietary data points to measure the resilience of Australians across health, financial, social and environmental indicators to a local community level.

This data is also categorised by age and gender, providing insights into the challenges faced by demographic groups across different parts of the country.

2m+
public and proprietary data points
4
resilience domains: health, financial, social & environmental
2,500
local communities
Read the announcement here

What we face

Risk

The likelihood and potential severity of an adverse event – such as a natural catastrophe, pandemic or economic shock. Higher risk means greater exposure to harm, but it does not necessarily mean poor outcomes will occur, as this is dependent on resilience.

How we respond

Resilience

The capacity to prepare for, absorb, adapt to and recover from those challenges. A community can face high risk yet remain resilient because it has strong financial buffers, healthcare access, social networks, infrastructure and effective institutions.

Australian Resilience Index

Health Resilience

Data examples

  • Rates of physical & mental health conditions
  • Access to health care & mental health support
  • Consumption of alcohol
  • Smoking
  • Exercise & diet

Financial Resilience

Data examples

  • Income & employment
  • Debt
  • Access to emergency funds
  • Super balances & bank interest
  • Insurance penetration
  • Reliance on government payments

Social Resilience

Data examples

  • Social cohesion
  • Crime victimisation rates
  • Community activity participation
  • Volunteering rates
  • Perceptions of belonging
  • Confidence voicing political views

Environmental Resilience

Data examples

  • Built environment & planning
  • Access to emergency services
  • Emergency service expenditure
  • Information access (e.g. phone & internet coverage)
  • Governance & leadership

Public data sources (e.g. Census, ABS, Social Health Atlas)
Proprietary data (e.g. Zurich insurance data, RedBridge/Accent field surveys)

How resilient are Australians?

Note: due to rounding or incomplete data for some areas, numbers may not sum to 100.

Key insights across each domain?

  • Financial Resilience has the strongest relationship with Overall Resilience, ahead of Social, Health and Environmental Resilience.
  • Among the top decile of SA2 areas for Overall Resilience, 62% of residents have High or Very High Financial Resilience. Among the bottom decile, 75% have Low or Very Low Financial Resilience.
  • Australia’s most financially resilient communities have, on average, eight times higher superannuation balances, nine times more dividend income and are approximately three times less likely to lack emergency funds than the least financially resilient communities.
  • The ACT has the highest proportion of its population scoring High or Very High for Financial Resilience, at 26%. QLD has the largest proportion scoring Low or Very Low, at 23%.
  • Financial Resilience rises sharply with age and is substantially more prevalent among males. This pattern occurs in every Australian state and territory.
  • Areas where at least half of residents have insurance are approximately four times more likely to have High or Very High Health Resilience and five times more likely to have High or Very High Financial Resilience than other areas.
  • NSW has the highest proportion of its population with High or Very High Health Resilience, at 31%. TAS has the largest proportion scoring Low or Very Low, at 51%.
  • Australia’s healthiest communities have approximately 31 times more hospitals within 15km and are 11 times closer to the nearest mental health facility than the least resilient communities.
  • Their residents are nearly four times less likely to need assistance with core activities, less than half as likely to smoke and approximately twice as likely to have insurance.
  • High or Very High Health Resilience is most prevalent among people aged 15–34, supported by lower obesity, long-term health conditions, smoking and care requirement rates, despite higher rates of mental health conditions.
  • Females have stronger Health Resilience overall. Males report almost three times the unhealthy alcohol-consumption rate, 50% higher smoking rates and 24% higher overweight or obesity rates.
  • Australia’s most socially resilient communities have approximately almost three times the volunteering rate, 54% lower household crime victimisation, half the proportion of single parents and 37% more community group participation than the least socially resilient communities.
  • The ACT has the strongest Social Resilience, with 61% of its population scoring High or Very High. The NT has the largest Low or Very Low share, at 39%.
  • Males are approximately 60% more likely than females to have High or Very High Social Resilience.
  • Females are approximately four times more likely to be single parents, 30% more likely to feel uncomfortable expressing political views publicly and 27% more likely to report household crime victimisation.
  • Males report greater feelings of isolation across every age group, particularly those aged over 35.
  • People aged 15–34 are the least likely to have High or Very High Social Resilience. They have approximately half the partner-relationship rate of older Australians, lower volunteering and community participation, and an 83% higher household crime victimisation rate.
  • Australia’s most environmentally resilient communities stand apart through stronger governance & leadership, better access to emergency service and high planning & built environment scores.
  • VIC has the highest proportion of High or Very High Environmental Resilience, at 30%. The NT has the largest proportion scoring Low or Very Low, at 74%.
  • People aged over 34 are more than twice as likely as younger Australians to have High or Very High Environmental Resilience.
  • Older Australians benefit from stronger economic capital, community capital and social character, while younger Australians perform substantially better in access to information.
  • Males are approximately 2.5 times more likely than females to have High or Very High Environmental Resilience, supported by stronger economic and community capital measures.

Resilience across our States & Territories?

Overall resilience

Very LowLowModerateHighVery High

State information

Queensland

Key findings from the Australian Resilience Index.

    Overall resilience

    Very LowLowModerateHighVery High

      Australia’s least and most resilient communities

      10 lowest-scoring SA2 areas

      All rated Very Low for Overall Resilience. Very Low

      RankSA2 areaStateElectoratePopulationKey drivers
      1Tiwi IslandsNorthern TerritoryLingiari2,088Environmental and Social (Very Low)
      2East ArnhemNorthern TerritoryLingiari5,993Social and Environmental (Very Low)
      3West ArnhemNorthern TerritoryLingiari4,669Social and Environmental (Very Low)
      4TanamiNorthern TerritoryLingiari2,442Social and Environmental (Very Low)
      5Torres Strait IslandsQueenslandLeichhardt2,749Social and Financial (Very Low)
      6Northern PeninsulaQueenslandLeichhardt1,842Social and Environmental (Very Low)
      7Halls CreekWestern AustraliaDurack3,031Social and Environmental (Very Low)
      8GulfNorthern TerritoryLingiari3,644Social and Environmental (Very Low)
      9ElizabethSouth AustraliaSpence7,809Financial, Social and Health (Very Low)
      10Ashcroft - Busby - MillerNew South WalesWerriwa12,447Social and Financial (Very Low)

      10 highest-scoring SA2 areas

      All rated Very High for Overall Resilience. Very High

      RankSA2 areaStateElectoratePopulationKey drivers
      1CottesloeWestern AustraliaCurtin6,155Financial (Very High)
      2Hunters Hill - WoolwichNew South WalesBennelong6,349Financial (Very High)
      3ToorakVictoriaKooyong9,303Financial (Very High)
      4City BeachWestern AustraliaCurtin4,816Financial and Social (Very High)
      5Mosman - SouthNew South WalesWarringah10,189Financial (Very High)
      6Castle Cove - NorthbridgeNew South WalesBradfield8,849Financial (Very High)
      7Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons BayNew South WalesWentworth7,835Financial (Very High)
      8Bellevue HillNew South WalesWentworth10,556Financial (Very High)
      9WoollahraNew South WalesWentworth5,143Financial (Very High)
      10Double Bay - Darling PointNew South WalesWentworth6,999Financial (Very High)

      All rated Very Low for Overall Resilience. Very Low

      1

      Tiwi Islands

      Northern Territory · Lingiari

      Population:2,088
      Key drivers:Environmental and Social (Very Low)
      2

      East Arnhem

      Northern Territory · Lingiari

      Population:5,993
      Key drivers:Social and Environmental (Very Low)
      3

      West Arnhem

      Northern Territory · Lingiari

      Population:4,669
      Key drivers:Social and Environmental (Very Low)
      4

      Tanami

      Northern Territory · Lingiari

      Population:2,442
      Key drivers:Social and Environmental (Very Low)
      5

      Torres Strait Islands

      Queensland · Leichhardt

      Population:2,749
      Key drivers:Social and Financial (Very Low)
      6

      Northern Peninsula

      Queensland · Leichhardt

      Population:1,842
      Key drivers:Social and Environmental (Very Low)
      7

      Halls Creek

      Western Australia · Durack

      Population:3,031
      Key drivers:Social and Environmental (Very Low)
      8

      Gulf

      Northern Territory · Lingiari

      Population:3,644
      Key drivers:Social and Environmental (Very Low)
      9

      Elizabeth

      South Australia · Spence

      Population:7,809
      Key drivers:Financial, Social and Health (Very Low)
      10

      Ashcroft - Busby - Miller

      New South Wales · Werriwa

      Population:12,447
      Key drivers:Social and Financial (Very Low)

      The resilience pressures facing generations and genders?

      Aged 15–34

      Young Australians

      37%

      score High or Very High for Health Resilience

      Young Australians show strong Health Resilience, with 37% scoring High or Very High and only 9% Low or Very Low, despite higher than average rates of mental health conditions. Financial strain is evident through higher renting, housing stress, part-time employment and limited emergency savings.

      Aged 35–49

      Middle-aged Australians

      20%

      have Low or Very Low Social Resilience – the sharpest rate of any age group

      Middle-aged Australians face the sharpest Low or Very Low Social Resilience rate, at 20% of the population. Approximately 39% report weakened belonging and 48% feel like a stranger in their own country.

      Aged 50–69

      Older Australians

      3×

      more likely than younger and middle-aged Australians combined to have High or Very High Financial Resilience

      Older Australians are over three times more likely than younger and middle-aged Australians combined to have High or Very High Financial Resilience. However, 42% have Low or Very Low Health Resilience, compared with 14% among younger age groups, driven by higher obesity, smoking, care needs and long-term condition rates.

      Gender

      Males versus females

      3×

      Females are more likely than males to have Low or Very Low Overall Resilience

      Females are over three times more likely than males to have Low or Very Low Overall Resilience. Around 32% of females fall into the lowest two Financial Resilience categories, compared with 6% of males, driven by higher rates of single-parenting, part-time employment and lower accumulated wealth.

      37%

      score High or Very High for Health Resilience

      Young Australians show strong Health Resilience, with 37% scoring High or Very High and only 9% Low or Very Low, despite higher than average rates of mental health conditions. Financial strain is evident through higher renting, housing stress, part-time employment and limited emergency savings.

      20%

      have Low or Very Low Social Resilience – the sharpest rate of any age group

      Middle-aged Australians face the sharpest Low or Very Low Social Resilience rate, at 20% of the population. Approximately 39% report weakened belonging and 48% feel like a stranger in their own country.

      3×

      more likely than younger and middle-aged Australians combined to have High or Very High Financial Resilience

      Older Australians are over three times more likely than younger and middle-aged Australians combined to have High or Very High Financial Resilience. However, 42% have Low or Very Low Health Resilience, compared with 14% among younger age groups, driven by higher obesity, smoking, care needs and long-term condition rates.

      3×

      Females are more likely than males to have Low or Very Low Overall Resilience

      Females are over three times more likely than males to have Low or Very Low Overall Resilience. Around 32% of females fall into the lowest two Financial Resilience categories, compared with 6% of males, driven by higher rates of single-parenting, part-time employment and lower accumulated wealth.

      Background & Methodology

      The Australian Resilience Index was produced by Zurich, Mandala Partners, RedBridge and Accent Research. It draws upon four individual indexes: health resilience, financial resilience, social resilience and environmental/climate resilience. Each of these indexes use a combination of proprietary and public datasets to quantify the resilience of the Australian population by location (SA2 level, jurisdiction, remoteness and electorate), gender and age. Index values provide a relative ranking for each demographic group, which are then arranged into categories between Very Low and Very High based on this relative ranking.

      Zurich Financial Services Australia is a life insurance, commercial insurance and investments specialist that has been participating in the Australian market since 1920. Since its acquisition of OnePath Life from ANZ in 2019, the company provides life insurance to more than 1.5 million Australian customers under both the Zurich and OnePath Life brands. Further information about Zurich Financial Services Australia is available at www.zurich.com.au.

      Mandala Partners is an economics research and advisory firm. Mandala specialises in combining cutting-edge data and advanced analytical techniques to generate new insights and fresh perspectives on the challenges facing businesses and governments. More information is available at https://mandalapartners.com/

      The RedBridge Group is an Australian political consultancy, research, and public opinion polling firm founded in 2018 by former Victorian Labor strategist Kos Samaras alongside political operatives including Tony Barry. The firm tracks voter behaviour, public sentiment, and national political trends. More information is available at https://redbridgegroup.com.au/

      Accent Research combines in-house expertise from political campaigns, data science, academia and advocacy roles, using cutting edge methods to measure attitudes across populations, track public opinion in near real-time, test campaign messaging and identify ways to engage with the community. Accent Research (with RedBridge Group) are the official pollsters of the Australian Financial Review. We are also local leaders in the model-based approach called MRP, providing clients with the most granular insights possible. Our research provides election campaigns with information at the level of individual seats, and organisations working on public policy and corporate campaigns smaller areas, including SA4 regions and postcodes. More information is available at https://www.accent-research.com/

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