The declining popularity of social justice ideas in Australia
An analysis of 20 prominent words and phrases associated with social justice—also known as woke—in Google web searches in Australia between January 2004 and April 2025 reveals Australia reached ‘peak woke’ in March 2023.
- This was when the highest average frequency of the 20 woke terms was recorded, and the average has been declining since that time.
- This indicates that woke ideas are declining in prevalence, and suggests that they will play a less prominent role in public debate going forward.
This finding is reinforced by new polling commissioned by the IPA, revealing that nine-in-ten Australians explicitly support the principle of equality before the law, and that more than half of Australians do not consider their race, sex, or ethnic background an important factor in their political decision making.
Despite these shifts, wokeness remains entrenched in the institutions that shape public life. Universities, media organisations, and government bodies continue to advocate for identity politics, highlighting the disconnect between the political class and mainstream Australians.
Figure 1: Search popularity score of woke terms and phrases
