Across the Western world, the fabric of civility is unravelling, replaced by a surge in political and civil violence that threatens the stability of once-cohesive societies. A May 2025 Rasmussen Reports survey reveals that 72% of U.S. voters believe civility in American politics has worsened, with a majority expecting political violence to increase in the coming years. This sentiment isn't unique to the U.S.—from Europe's riot-torn streets to Canada's polarised protests, the West is grappling with a social breakdown driven by the erosion of traditional norms of support. Families, communities, and institutions that once fostered unity are fracturing under the weight of economic strain, cultural fragmentation, and distrust in elites. In Australia, this manifests as a troubling rise in street violence, fuelled by alcohol, social inequality, and political polarisation. This blog post explores the broader Western trend and presents a case study on Australia's street violence, examining its causes, manifestations, and implications for a society losing its moorings, if not its mind.
Traditional norms of support, family structures, community networks, and trust in institutions, have long anchored Western societies. But decades of globalisation, neoliberal policies, and cultural shifts have hollowed out these foundations. Economic inequality has soared, with the top 1% owning more wealth than the bottom 90% in many Western nations. Mass migration and rapid demographic changes have strained social cohesion, sparking backlash from both progressive and nationalist factions. Social media amplifies division, turning debates into tribal warfare. Meanwhile, institutions like media, governments, and academia are increasingly seen as captured by corporate or ideological interests, eroding public trust. The Rasmussen survey's findings reflect this: only 12% of U.S. voters think civility has improved, a damning indictment of a society where dialogue is replaced by vitriol.
This breakdown fuels violence in two ways. First, political extremism, Left and Right, thrives in polarised environments, with groups like Antifa, and jihadist networks exploiting social fractures. Second, civil violence, often apolitical but socially driven, surges as marginalised groups, frustrated youth, and disenfranchised communities lash out. Australia, with its relatively low homicide rate and stable democracy, might seem immune, but its rising street violence tells a different story. From alcohol-fuelled brawls to politically charged protests, the Land Down Under is a microcosm of the West's descent into disorder.
Street violence in Australia, defined here as assaults, robberies, and other violent acts occurring in public spaces like streets, footpaths, or near nightlife venues, has risen in recent years, reflecting broader social and political tensions. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), national assault victimisations increased by 10% in 2023, reaching 76,533 victims in New South Wales alone, with a victimisation rate of 917 per 100,000 persons. In Victoria, robbery victims surged by 30% from 2022 to 2023, with 53% of incidents occurring in community locations, predominantly streets or footpaths. The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) notes that recorded assaults have risen by over 40% since the early 1990s, with aggravated assaults driving much of the increase, particularly among youths under 15.
Alcohol-related violence remains a persistent issue. A 2008 Reuters report highlighted 21,000 alcohol-related violent incidents in New South Wales, with a 7% annual rise and a 25% increase in "glassings" (attacks with broken glass) over five years. While stricter liquor laws have curbed some excesses, X posts and police reports suggest binge drinking still fuels weekend chaos in cities like Sydney and Melbourne, with young men aged 20–29 most often involved.
The rise in street violence stems from the same social breakdown afflicting the West, amplified by Australia's unique context:
1.Erosion of Community and Family Structures: Traditional support systems are crumbling. Rural towns are hollowing out as youth migrate to cities, leaving behind fractured communities. The ABS reports that 21% of adults have experienced partner violence or abuse since age 15, with 40% of 2023 assaults being family-related, suggesting domestic dysfunction spills into public spaces. Single-parent households, up 15% since 2000, correlate with higher youth crime rates, as seen in the doubling of assault rates among under-15s.
2.Economic Inequality and Alienation: Australia's Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality, has risen to 0.34, among the highest in the OECD. Cost-of-living pressures, with housing unaffordability at record highs (median Sydney home prices hit $1.6 million in 2024), stoke resentment. X users frequently lament "elites" ignoring working-class struggles, fuelling populist anger that erupts in street brawls or protests. Unemployed youth, particularly in Aboriginal communities, where assault rates are 66–82% family-related, are overrepresented in violent crime.
3.Alcohol and Drug Culture: Binge drinking is a cultural staple, with 88% of Australian Football League players engaging in high-risk drinking, per a 2008 study, setting a toxic example for young men. Ice (methamphetamine) use has also surged, with hospital admissions for amphetamine-related injuries up 30% from 2015 to 2023. These substances lower inhibitions, turning minor disputes into violent escalations, as Judge Paul Condon noted: "A bump on the dance floor can spark an all-out war."
4.Political Polarisation: Australia's political discourse, while less toxic than the U.S., is deteriorating. The 2025 election saw clashes over climate policies, gender issues, and vaccine mandates, with LEAN's push for 70% emissions cuts by 2035 (as discussed at the blog today) inflaming rural-urban divides. Protests, like the 2021 anti-lockdown riots in Melbourne, saw thousands clash with police, with 200 arrests and 10 officers injured.
5.Desensitisation to Violence: Media saturation and violent video games, consumed heavily by Gen Z, normalise aggression. Criminologist Fulde in 2008 warned that young Australians are "more angry, less tolerant, and desensitised to violence," a trend worsened by online echo chambers. The AIC notes that 23% of assault victims in 2023 were aged 25–34, reflecting a generation primed for conflict.
Sydney, Australia's largest city, exemplifies the street violence epidemic. In 2020, pre-Covid data showed 19,000 alcohol-related assaults annually in New South Wales, with Sydney's Kings Cross and Bondi hotspots for "glassings" and brawls. Lockdowns temporarily suppressed nightlife, but post-2022, violence rebounded. The ABS recorded a 7% rise in assaults in 2023, with 31% occurring on streets or footpaths. A 2023 incident in Bondi saw a 21-year-old tourist stabbed outside a pub, one of 930 street robberies that year in Victoria alone.
Police data shows 60% of Sydney's weekend assaults are alcohol-related, with 2 a.m. lockout laws (introduced in 2014) failing to stem the tide. X users report "drunk mobs" overwhelming police, with one 2024 post describing a Darling Harbour fight involving 20 youths, leaving two hospitalised. Emergency rooms, like St. Vincent's Hospital, report 10–15 assault cases per weekend, with "glassings" causing permanent injuries like blindness, as victim Krystle Kelley described in 2008.
Political violence has also spiked. In 2024, neo-Nazi groups clashed with anti-racism protesters in Sydney's CBD, with 15 arrests. NSW Premier Chris Minns vowed to "throw the book" at perpetrators, but X posts criticised police for "letting extremists run wild." The 2025 election saw polling booths in western Sydney targeted with graffiti and physical altercations.
The establishment paints street violence as a manageable issue, citing Australia's low homicide rate (1 per 100,000, stable since 2013) and declining burglary rates. But this glosses over the surge in non-lethal violence, particularly assaults and robberies, which disproportionately affect marginalised groups. The AIC notes that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities face assault rates 8–10 times higher than the general population, yet data gaps in states like Victoria obscure the full picture. Media hype, as seen in coverage of high-profile cases like the 2012 Jill Meagher murder, can distort perceptions, but the 40% rise in assaults since the 1990s is undeniable.
Police and government responses, lockout laws, extra patrols, and domestic violence funding ($150 million in 2020), have had mixed results. Assaults continue to climb. The focus on alcohol and drugs ignores deeper social rot: inequality, family breakdown, and distrust in institutions mirror the West's broader crisis, as Rasmussen's 72% civility decline suggests. Australia's relative stability masks a creeping normalisation of violence, with youth gangs, political protests, and pub brawls signalling a society on edge.
Australia's street violence, while less severe than U.S. riots or European no-go zones, is a warning sign. The 10% assault increase in 2023, coupled with political clashes, reflects a society where traditional norms, community trust, family stability, and institutional credibility are eroding. Without addressing root causes, inequality, cultural fragmentation, and youth alienation, the trajectory points to worse. The West's broader decline, as Rasmussen's survey underscores, suggests Australia is not immune.
Short-term fixes like stricter liquor laws or more police patrols won't rebuild social cohesion. Long-term, Australia needs investment in rural economies, family support programs, and education to counter desensitisation to violence. Politically, de-escalating culture wars, as seen in the 2025 election clashes, requires leaders to prioritise unity over pandering to extremes. If not, the streets of Sydney, Melbourne, and beyond will grow meaner, proving the West's social breakdown is a universal malaise.
The West is sliding into an era of political and civil violence, driven by the collapse of traditional norms that once held societies together. Australia's rising street violence, from alcohol-fuelled brawls to election-related scuffles, mirrors this trend. Sydney's nightlife chaos, with its 7% annual assault rise and persistent "glassings," encapsulates the problem: a society where economic stress, cultural divides, and weakened families breed aggression. The Rasmussen survey's warning, 72% of voters see civility crumbling, applies as much to Australia as to America. Without bold action to restore community, trust, and opportunity, the West risks a future where violence, not dialogue, defines the streets.
"Voters See Civility Declining, Expect More Political Violence
Tuesday, May 06, 2025
The level of civility in American political life has declined, according to a majority of voters, who expect political violence to increase in the next few years.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 72% of Likely U.S. Voters say, in thinking about the overall tone and civility in American politics over recent years, the level of civility has gotten worse. Just 12% think the level of civility has gotten better, and another 12% believe it has stayed about the same."