Canberra, April 20 : Average life satisfaction among Australians fell to the lowest level on record in March, according to the latest edition of an Australian National University (ANU) survey published on Monday.

The 29th iteration of the ANUpoll, which has regularly surveyed Australians on their well-being since 2019, recorded an average life-satisfaction rating of 6.22 out of 10 from 3,662 participants, falling below the previous record low of 6.35 in March 2025.

Average life satisfaction has fallen by 3.7 per cent since the last edition of the poll in December, marking the biggest decline between surveys since the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Australia in March 2026 is a country under considerable strain," Nicholas Biddle, head of the ANU School of Politics and International Relations and leader of the ANUpoll project, said in a media release.

More respondents said they were dissatisfied with the direction of the country than satisfied for the first time in the poll's history, with 54 per cent dissatisfied and 46 per cent satisfied to some extent.

Nearly 60 per cent said they believe life was better 50 years ago and 58.5 per cent believe it will be worse in 50 years in the future.

The timing of the survey coincided with the oil supply crisis driven by the conflict in the Middle East, which caused fuel prices in Australia to soar.

A record-high 34.9 per cent of respondents said they were finding it difficult or very difficult to cope on their current income and employed participants reported an average expected probability of losing their job of 26.8 per cent, up from 19.2 per cent in January 2025.

Biddle said that the proportion of employed Australians specifically concerned that machines or computer programs will replace their jobs has nearly doubled since March 2018.

/IANS