Value Differences among Leaders and the Workforce in Australia

Broad agreement on societal values is an important determinant of political legitimacy and stability in liberal democracies. This article examines the extent of such agreement in Australia by comparing the opinions of leaders in government, business and trade unions with the views of the workforce on a series of key topics related to institutions, social issues, and policy measures. The results show that on matters of institutional performance, economic management and the causes of unemployment, leaders hold views quite distinct from those of the workforce. On other issues, leaders themselves are in disagreement, and trade union leaders in particular are more likely to side with the workforce than with other leaders. At other times - for example, in evaluating mass media - the views of trade union leaders are at odds with those of the workforce they represent. These results reveal no clear or consistent pattern of value cleavages, either between leaders and the workforce, or between business and labour. For the most part, values are pragmatic and ad hoc, and reflect self-interest on particular issues rather than a consistent cleavage of sentiment or belief.