Bulletin

Listening to Australians: A New RBA Survey of the Community

The RBA introduced a new survey in early 2025 to better understand how Australians experience and understand the economy, and public perceptions of the RBA. Three survey waves have been conducted to date. Results confirm that inflation remains the top economic concern, and by some margin. They also show that while public awareness of the RBA is high, there are fundamental gaps in understanding of how monetary policy works, particularly in how interest rates affect inflation. Public trust in the RBA is comparable with other Australian and international institutions and has been stable since early 2025. However, trust varies across the community, and is closely linked to understanding of the economy and perceptions of how the RBA operates. Higher trust is associated with lower inflation expectations, highlighting that trust is important in its own right, and also for the transmission of monetary policy. The results also show that there is strong demand for information about the economy, with most Australians surveyed expressing interest in learning more. The findings underscore the critical role for clear, accessible and targeted communication to fill knowledge gaps and meet the community’s demand for more information about RBA decisions, how those decisions are made and how they impact the economy and their own households.