Australian students' knowledge of politics and democratic processes has fallen to a 20-year low.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority tested Year 6 and Year 10 students on their civics knowledge last year.
More than 70% of high school students and 60% of primary school students did not meet proficiency standards.
Civic test
ACARA first conducted a civics and citizenship test in 2004. The last edition was held in 2019.
The test assesses knowledge of Australia’s government, rights, legal obligations, and national values, using a sample of Year 6 and Year 10 students.
In 2024, nearly 10,000 students from more than 600 schools nationwide took the test.
Results
Students' results’ were measured against ‘proficiency standards’, which ACARA defines as “a challenging but reasonable expectation of student achievement at that year level.”
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Less than a third of Year 10 students met the “proficiency standards” in 2024, down from 38% in the previous test. Of Year 6 students, 43% met the standard, down 10% from 2019.
Students in major cities and non-Indigenous students generally performed better than their counter-parts. Year 6 girls performed better than boys.
Engagement
The test also recorded students’ attitudes and engagement levels, revealing “a high degree of trust in civic institutions” in both year levels.
However, they had “considerably less trust” in media or social media, despite “a large proportion” of students relying on these platforms for news.
The test also found a decline in excursions to parliaments and courts since the pandemic, particularly among Year 10 students.
ACARA found students think learning about democracy is important, and are concerned about the climate, crime, and racism.
CEO Stephen Gniel emphasised the need for teachers to be supported to “deliver engaging civics and citizenship education”.
“It is vital that all young Australians get a strong grounding with civics education to feel engaged with social and political issues, so that they can make a valuable contribution as society’s future stewards,” Gniel said.
