Aussies who need help most are least likely to ask: NRMA Index

Australians who are struggling financially or socially isolated are the least likely among us to reach out and ask for help, according to the NRMA’s inaugural Index.

The comprehensive nationwide survey of 2,014 Australians conducted by the NRMA found that only 21 per cent of Australians feel confident asking others for help while half (50%) would not reach out.

Alarmingly, only 11 per cent who are struggling to keep on top of things would reach out for help, while that figure almost triples (31%) among those who feel financially confident.

The research found that only 30 per cent of Australians currently feel a strong sense of community. This connection is stronger among older Australians aged over 65 (38%) and financially confident (43%), while less among those Australians struggling to keep on top of things (20%).

NRMA represents 3.3 million members nationwide and has launched its inaugural NRMA Index to give a voice to the concerns of Australians and to help steer the organisation’s advocacy efforts.

NRMA Group CEO Rohan Lund will today release the results of the NRMA Index at a Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) breakfast at NSW Parliament. NSW Treasurer the Hon. Daniel Mookhey MLC will also address the event.

Called NRMA Icons Breakfast, the event is being held to officially launch the United Nations designated Year of Co-operatives and Mutuals.

The index has been launched at the same time that polling conducted by NRMA and its sister clubs found that the top priority for Australian voters in the lead-up to this year’s federal election was cost of living (53%) – almost eight times higher than the second-placed health and aged care (7%).

Mr Lund will talk to the role of the ‘modern mutual’ at a time when some Australians are struggling in a volatile and fractured world. He will point to a government-led push in the United Kingdom to grow the number of mutuals and co-operatives as the preferred business model to drive change.

Mr Lund said mutuals and cooperatives offered the best corporate structure to fill the gap between government and for-profit corporates where so many Australians had fallen between.

“There is no denying that too many of our fellow Australians find themselves struggling, isolated and scared in 2025. As a nation we must work together to find solutions as we have done at every challenging point in our past,” Mr Lund said.

“The NRMA was formed as a mutual 105 years ago and since the first mutual was formed in Australia in 1834 they have played a critical role in building a fairer and more equitable nation. Mutuals don’t pay shareholder dividends but invest societal dividends to tackle the very challenges we face today.

“It is timely that 2025 is the UN Year of Cooperatives and Mutuals and as a nation we should follow the lead of others to find ways to grow this crucial sector that hires so many Australians, protects billions of dollars of their superannuation and works so hard to lift those left behind.”

The NRMA Index also found that 19 per cent of Australians participate in local activities, however the number is significantly higher among those who feel financially confident (31%) as opposed to those struggling (10%).

The biggest barriers preventing people from feeling connected were:

• An unwillingness to impose on others (38%)
• Social anxiety (30%)
• A lack of time (30%); and
• A level of trust in others (29%)

Social anxiety was highest among younger Australians aged 18-24 (43%), while a lack of spare time affected parents with children under the age of 18 the most (39%).

The community hubs that Australians felt were most important when meeting face-to-face were sports clubs and gyms (49%), parks (46%), community centres (45%) and local clubs or RSLs (45%).

The research found the importance of social connections in reducing isolation. Almost two-thirds (63%) spent time with family in the last three months and 55% socialised with friends. Almost one-in-four (23%) have volunteered in the last 12 months.

Australians are also looking to travel, with 76% planning on taking a holiday domestically or internationally in the next six months and half of Australians surveyed planning a road trip.

The NRMA currently own or manages over 70 holiday destinations across Australia through its Parks & Resorts portfolio.

NRMA Chief Membership Officer Victoria Doidge said pulling down the barriers to social isolation and financial hardship were vital to invigorating those parts of Australian society who were struggling and felt left behind.

“The findings of this index are confronting. In a nation built on mateship too many of our neighbours are doing it tough and with the devastation caused by cyclone Alfred earlier this month we know that for a greater number of Australians that hill just got steeper again,” Ms Doidge said.

“We also saw the best in what Australia has to offer with neighbours and communities coming together to sandbag properties, rescue stranded vehicles and sweep out flood-affected homes.

“The modern mutual is the ideal structure for government and business to come together and solve some of these big challenges and the NRMA takes this role seriously.”

Download the NRMA Index