Australians open up about what life is actually like in 2025

Tens of thousands of people have revealed what they really think about life in Australia in 2025 - and they haven’t held back in their responses.

Australians have opened up about what their lives are really like, revealing their opinions on a range of topics and responding to the burning – and sometimes uncomfortable – questions that everyone wants answered.

Earlier this year, news.com.au launched The Great Aussie Debate, a wide-ranging, 50-question survey that has uncovered what Australians really think about all the hot topics of 2025.

Over two weeks, more than 54,000 Australians took part in the survey, revealing their thoughts on everything from the cost of living and homeownership, to electric vehicles and going shoeless in supermarkets.

Their answers have resulted in a snapshot of how the average Aussie thinks, feels and lives in 2025, with some results more surprising than others.

This is how Australia answered:

MONEY

Aussies are still in the thick of a cost-of-living crisis. People are still reeling from more than a year of rates being held and, prior to that, a period of prolonged, brutal rises.

On top of this, rent prices have skyrocketed, grocery prices are continuing to soar and wage prices aren’t rising fast enough to keep up.

So, it’s no wonder money is at the top of people’s minds.

Aussies have revealed their thoughts on salaries and pay rises. Picture: NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

As part of the survey, we asked Australia’s what salary you need to earn to be considered rich in 2025.

It turns out, that figure is anything over $250,000 a year, with 56 per cent choosing this option.

The highest salary range was the most selected option among all age groups, though the older generations were most likely to choose this answer.

We also asked people when they last received a pay rise they were happy with.

The most common response was two to four years ago, with 27.7 per cent choosing this option.

The second most popular option was between five and 10 years. Concerningly, a significant portion, 17.1 per cent, claimed they have never been satisfied by a pay increase.

WORK

The ongoing working from home debate has heated up significantly in the past few months. At the start of the year we saw a slew of companies rolling back flexible working arrangements and ordering staff back into the office, a move that has been widely unpopular with employees.

From our survey, it is clear the majority of Aussies prefer a hybrid approach to work, where possible, with 61.59 per cent favouring between one and four days at home.

View the full results below:

Australia’s biggest argument finally settled

VIEW GALLERY

MORE: How to negotiate working from home

Of the respondents, 28.77 per cent believe full time office work is best. However, there is an interesting detail in the statistics.

The age group most likely to choose this option have hit retirement age. More than half (51.18 per cent) of the 70+ group want people in the office five days a week.

It is clear there are generational conflicts at play in workplaces across the country. When asked who is the hardest generation to work with, almost half nominated Gen Z.

Every age group, apart from two, labelled Gen Z as the most difficult to work with.

However, those in the 18-29 age bracket believe Baby Boomers are the hardest to work with and those aged 70+ nominated Millennials.

SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS

Aussies have opened up about very private parts of their lives, revealing intimate details about their relationships and other romantic endeavours.

One of the questions how frequently they have sex, with the most common response being 1-2 times a month, with 21.6 per cent of people choosing this option.

When asked how often they would like to be having sex, just under half respondent, “More than I currently do”. This was the most popular response across all age groups and was significantly higher for males (57.77 per cent) than females (35.43 per cent).

Aussies also gave insight into their boundaries when it comes to romantic relationships.

Asked if they would consider a partner subscribing to OnlyFans as cheating, 49.48 per cent said, “Yes, definitely”.

A further 42.33 per cent said it depends on the type of interactions they are having with the creator and 8.19 per cent said no and that it was “normal”.

Women are considerably more likely to view a partner’s OnlyFans subscription as cheating, while male respondents believe it depends on the level of interaction taking place.

More than 54,000 people responded to the survey. Picture: iStock

THE BIG ISSUES

The survey also addressed some of the more divisive topics that have been sparking ongoing debates across the country.

In relation to a question about Australia Day, 70.2 per cent said it was meaningful to them and it is important to have a day to celebrate our country.

A further 17.3 per cent said that, while they think we should have a day to celebrate Australia, they don’t feel comfortable doing it on the current date.

Those in the younger age groups were more likely to state they didn’t celebrate Australia Day or express discomfort with the current date, while those in older generations were more likely to support the day on it’s current date.

When asked if Australia is a sexist country, the most common answer (38.6 per cent) was “yes”, but it is better than it was 10 years ago.

Women were more likely to believe it is sexist but improved (52.38 per cent), compared to 46.3 per cent of men who think Australia isn’t sexist.

Many respondents believe the country has become “too woke”, with 78.39 per cent saying people are too sensitive and that cancel culture has gotten out of hand.

While people across all age categories agreed, the percentage of people who believe we have become too woke significantly increases with age.

Originally published as Australians open up about what life is actually like in 2025