In short:

An annual social cohesion survey of 10,000 Australians has found the nation is becoming "more divided" and "more pessimistic".

The latest Scanlon Foundation survey has found mounting financial pressure has left many households unable to pay for essentials such as food, rent or health care.

One in three respondents expressed anxiety about their future, triple the number of respondents who expressed the same pessimism in the first 2006 survey.