By Lucy Carroll and Christopher Harris
More than 70 per cent of Australian high school students have failed the latest round of civics and citizenship testing – the worst results in two decades of assessments.
The figures, released on Tuesday, have sparked calls for urgent action to arrest the decline amid a backdrop of low levels of trust in democracy, loss of faith in political institutions and a deep fracturing of social cohesion.
National results show the proportion of year 6 students who met the proficient standard in civics testing fell to 43 per cent, tumbling from 53 per cent in 2019.
Less than half of primary students met proficiency standards in the latest civics and citizenship tests.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
Just 28 per cent of year 10 students passed the assessment – sliding from 38 per cent in the previous round of testing.
The civics and citizenship test is a triennial assessment that measures knowledge of Australia’s government, rights and legal obligations and national social values. A representative sample of almost 10,000 students sat the test, run by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, in May last year.
For the first time, less than half of primary school students assessed failed to meet the proficient benchmark.
About two-thirds of year 10 students had high levels of trust in civic institutions such as courts and police – but this has fallen since the last round of tests. Only a third of students had a high degree of trust in the media, and 24 per cent in social media.
The Herald this month revealed education experts had urged the NSW government to fast-track compulsory civics and media literacy education in schools from next year and rapidly roll out teacher training programs.
The state government has failed to mandate civics education in its primary and high schools for more than 25 years.
“These results confirm the view that many students are not being taught about democracy in schools,” said Murray Print, a professor at Sydney University and leader in civics and political education.
“It reaffirms that students are disillusioned with the Australian government, political systems and agencies of government. Without trust in democracy, it will be hugely difficult to overcome barriers to building social cohesion.
“There are signs democracy is on the line. I am very concerned about year 10 students who will be voting in two years.”
Print, who is calling for civics curriculum reform, previously said the rise in antisemitism also pointed to a splintering in social cohesion and the vital role it played in a well-functioning democracy.
Only 25 per cent of year 10 students said they read about current events in traditional media – print or online – plummeting from more than half of teenagers in 2010. About 57 per cent watch news on television – down from more than 80 per cent 15 years ago.
More students said they were talking about political or social issues with family and friends.
More than 80 per cent of teenagers failed to correctly answer what is needed to achieve success in a referendum, while more than one-third struggled to show they understood the democratic process or identify the main role of the prime minister.
Students’ interest in politics, social issues and what is happening in other countries has fallen across both years, with only a quarter of teenagers saying they had interest in Australian politics.
A survey that explored attitudes and civic engagement found students were most concerned about pollution, followed by climate change, health, crime and racism and discrimination.
In the past five years, the biggest decline in participation in civics activities was for excursions to a parliament, local government or law court.
A Senate inquiry into Australian nationhood and democracy in 2021 pushed for a wide-ranging review of the curriculum to tackle prejudice and build tolerance.
A new joint standing committee on electoral matters report made public in early February called for mandatory civics lessons for students in years 11 and 12 and minimum hours set for early high school years.
“Understanding our shared national and core values of democracy – including freedom of expression, speech and association – underpin our social cohesion. There has been a steady decline in students’ grasp of these concepts,” Print said.
Less than 20 per cent of Indigenous primary and high school students passed the test, with year 6 students falling to 13 per cent meeting proficiency.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare this month announced a funding boost for school students to visit Parliament House and the War Memorial to “understand what generations of Australians have fought and died for”.
“We need more young people to understand how our democracy works and want to be a part of it,” Clare said.
NSW Education Minister Prue Car said the results highlighted the need for mandatory civics education, which NSW will implement from 2027.
“The previous approach, where civics and citizenship content was optional, failed to provide all children with the knowledge and understanding needed to participate productively in society,” she said.
Coalition education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson said the report was “another example of how our education system is failing young Australians under the Albanese government”.
“Getting back to the basics in education is part of our plan to get the country back on track,” she said.
The last tests were sat in 2019. Assessments were cancelled during the pandemic.
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clarification
A previous version of this story included a question from ACARA’s report which was published with an incorrect answer. ACARA has since removed the question from its report.