The most important thing about being an Australian is the value we put on freedom, says a poll of national attitudes carried out to celebrate Australia Day.
The popular reunion website Friends Reunited asked a sample of its users ‘What does being Australian mean to you?’ in a bid to sum up the national consciousness in a single sentence.
Around half of all respondents signaled that ‘chill out!’ is the message Australians generally project on the world stage after choosing either ‘taking a relaxed attitude to life’ or ‘living with a sense of fun and adventure’ to sum up their countrymen’s vital essence.
However, the laid back image that many like to project is balanced by more earnest values of hard work and perseverance, which came out as the second biggest source of national pride for those taking part in the poll. They struck a chord with one in four people.
And for yet others, celebrations at regaining the Ashes by thrashing the England cricket team must still be fresh in the mind, as they reported that being better than the English at sport is the basic Australian motivating force. This proved the third most popular answer.
Around one in ten of those answering the survey said that it was the diversity of living in a nation made up of people from different cultures that inspired them the most.
The findings should come as heartening news to those behind official plans to encourage more people to think about national values as they kick back and enjoy the top public holiday of the year.
As part of its plans to get everyone in the spirit of Australia Day, the Government website invites people to celebrate by reflecting on how their personal freedom relates to “participation in government and respect for and equality under the law.”
Although they might not agree on the specifics, the overwhelming majority of respondents felt that there was something special about being Australian – only four percent replied that it made no difference to them.
Vicki Dawson, Head of Friends Reunited Australia said, "Across the world, other countries tend to think of the stereotypical Aussie as someone who is laid back and smiles a lot.
"It turns out that our results reveal that this picture is pretty much true to the image most Australians have of themselves.
"But it's important to note that when it comes to hard work, we’re not a nation of shirkers because many people chose that as the most important part of the Australian character."
The full results of the poll, which surveyed nearly 7,000 people, are as follows:
What does being Australian mean to you?
| Taking a relaxed attitude to life and valuing personal freedom | 38% |
| Taking pride in our national history of hard work and perseverance | 25% |
| Being better than the British at Sport | 13% |
| Living with a sense of fun and adventure | 12% |
| Enjoying the diversity of living in a multicultural country | 9% |
| It doesn't mean anything special to me | 4% |
About Friends Reunited Australia
Friends Reunited Australia, formerly SchoolFriends.com.au, was launched in September 2000 to reunite old school friends, relatives, workmates, ex-forces colleagues and team-mates throughout Australia and New Zealand. Founded by sister and brother team Vicki Dawson and Rob Barron it was bought by UK reunion site Friends Reunited in June 2004 and its 2 million members now have access to an international database of over 15 million people from the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa. Its membership basis has also expanded into Singapore and Malaysia.
For interviews or more information about Friends Reunited Australia please contact
Vicki Dawson on (02) 9836 3587 or Mob: 0413 088 260
or email vdawson@friendsreunited.com.au