Spiritual identity and wellbeing

We know that the Australian population is becoming less religious. Every census, fewer people report an affiliation with a religion. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that people are not “spiritual”.

In our 2026 Australian Community Survey, we asked a sample of Australians about their sense of spiritual wellbeing:
• A deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being
• A deep sense of wonder about the universe
• A strong sense of gratitude or thankfulness
• The presence of something from beyond this world
• A deep sense of connection with humanity
• A sense of awe at the beauty of nature.

The two things that people reported feeling most often were a sense of awe at the beauty of nature and a strong sense of gratitude or thankfulness. About a third felt this at least weekly, while about 6 in 10 in total did so at least monthly.

For the first time, we’re including some of these questions in the National Church Life Survey. It will be very interesting to compare church attenders and the wider community.

Church-attending people are a minority in the Australian community today, but what patterns do we see in terms of their feelings regarding spirituality and connection with others?

2026ncls.org.au