We address our title question by synthesising insights and knowledge derived from the Social and Economic Long-Term Monitoring Program (SELTMP), which has monitored the status and trend of social, economic and governance indicators relevant to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR, the Reef) since 2013. As a social-ecological system, the GBR is undergoing rapid change. Reef-dependent communities, stakeholders and Traditional Owners are key partners in delivering multiple initiatives intended to protect GBR values and bolster Reef resilience. The success of such initiatives depends on many factors, including their social acceptability, community trust in the underpinning science and perceived fairness of decision making, as well as partners’ motivations and capacity to adopt stewardship practices. Drawing on multiple studies that have interrogated SELTMP’s time-series datasets, we identify trends of concern (e.g., declining public trust in GBR science and increasing climate change scepticism), enabling conditions, and leverage points that can be utilised by resource managers and community leaders to improve Reef protection and restoration outcomes. We outline further opportunities for human dimension monitoring to inform decision making for adaptive marine resource management.