AUSTRALIA@2015

Professor Andrew Markus

2

[1] Surveys and public opinion

[2] Australia@2015 survey and focus groups

[3] Positive findings

[4] Visa categories compared Business (457)

Skill Independent

Humanitarian

[5] South Sudanese

[6] Australia born

OVERVIEW

SURVEYS AND PUBLIC OPINION

4

Attitudes to Muslim Australians (September 2016)

–Essential Report: 49% support ban on immigration

–Deakin University researcher: 60% concern marriage

Uncritical acceptance/ reporting

–Polls and Brexit

–Polls and the presidential election

Politics of survey reporting

[1] Probability sample? Mode (online panel?)

[2] Question wording? Response options?

[3] Context for interpretation?

SURVEYS AND RELIABILITY

THE SCANLON FOUNDATION SURVEYS

6

National Local Experimental

2007 2,000 1,500

2009 2,000

2010 2,000 1,800

2011 2,000

2012 2,000 2,000

2013 1,200 2,500 2,300

2014 1,500 1,070

2015a 1,500

Sub-total 14,200 7,800 3,370

2015b 51 focus groups

10,548

2007-15 surveys: national surveys June-July

SAMPLE SIZE

AUSTRALIA@2015

8

Available 20 languages, online and print

Promoted over 6 months (Sept. 2015-February 2016) – Partner organisations: ECCV; SBS; Multicultural NSW – Others promoting: Monash University, Scanlon Foundation, AMF, DSS, state government departments, local government,

organisations in Bendigo, CMY (Melb.), SSI (Sydney), MDA (Brisb.), Access (Brisb.), Logan Council, FECCA; Scanlon Foundation

Three weights – Australia-born; Overseas-born; LGA (8)

Non-probability sample, benchmarked against probability samples (earlier

Scanlon Foundation surveys)

ADMINISTRATION

9

Surveys completed (valid) 10,548 (print=522)

as % of surveys started ~75%

Born in Australia 5,061 48%

Born overseas 5,487 52%

Completed in LOTE 1,521 15%

RESPONDENT PROFILE

10

Au 5061 India 217 S. Korea 301 Turkey 168 South Sudan 166

USA 66

ATSI 122 Sri Lanka 95 China 287 Lebanon 41 Sudan 69

NZ 567 Pakistan 65 Vietnam 275 Israel 213 Eritrea 54 Colombia 78

UK 396 Burma(My) 47 Iraq 112 S. Africa 62 Brazil 36

Thailand 83 Iran 250 Chile 34

France 169 Malaysia 77 Afghanistan 199

Germany 79 Indonesia 51

Cyprus 50 Philippines 119

COUNTRY OF BIRTH

11

1056

1346

627

623

193

201

639

269

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600

Skill

Family

Humanitarian

Student

Long-stay business visa (457)

Working holiday maker

NZ Passport

Asylum seeker

VISA CATEGORY: ENTERED AUSTRALIA

12

1971

917

329

272

946

890

464

380

187

2929

262

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500

Roman Catholic

Anglican

Uniting Church

Presbyterian

Christian nfd

Islam

Buddhist

Jewish

Hindu

No religion

Decline to answer

RELIGION

13

720

1019

1203 1257 1251

1110 1122

982

796

576

299

194

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

18-24 24-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75+

AGE

14

51 Groups +

6 interviews

4 Sydney 4 Melbourne 2 Brisbane 1 Perth

285 Participants

FOCUS GROUPS

September 2015 – May 2016

11 Localities

POSITIVES:

A GOOD COUNTRY FOR AUSTRALIA BORN, A

GOOD COUNTRY FOR IMMIGRANT

16

AU@2015 - arrived 2001-2015

Negative response %

‘Very unhappy’, ‘unhappy’ 13

‘Strongly dissatisfied’, ‘dissatisfied’ with life in Australia 6

Sense of belonging in Australia, ‘not at all’ 9

17

Top Ten things liked about Australia, first choice, overseas-born arrived 2001-15

19%

17%

13% 11%

The lifestyle/ the Australian way of life

There is freedom and democracy

The standard of living

Education system/ opportunity forchildren

18

‘To what extent do you have a sense of belonging in Australia?’ by year of arrival

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

2011-2015 2006-2010 2001-2005 1991-2000 1981-1990 1971-1980 1961-1970

Great extent Slightly/ not at all

19

OPTIMISM OF THE NEW ARRIVAL

‘ … Hard work brings a better life’ – by year of arrival

Response: ‘Disagree’ or ‘Strongly disagree’

6%

10%

13% 14%

18%

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

20%

‘Disagree’ or ‘Strongly disagree’

2011-2015 2006-2010 2001-2005 1996-2000 1991-1995

20

1981-1990 1991-2000 2001-05 2006-10 2011-15

Everyday 25% 32% 36% 44% 43%

Several times/week 28% 27% 29% 31% 28%

Total 53% 59% 65% 75% 71%

‘How often do you keep in contact with friends and relatives … former home country?’, by SMS and social media, YOA

Decline,

but still

53%

21

1981-1990 1991-2000 2001-05 2006-10 2011-15

Everyday 13% 21% 19% 19% 17%

Several times/week 13% 12% 13% 16% 15%

Total 26% 32% 32% 35% 32%

‘How often do you watch television and other media form your former home country’, by YOA

Little change to 1991: entrenched at 1:3

VISA CATEGORIES

23

FINANCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES + TRUST:

SOUTH SUDANESE

Question Business 457 %

Independent Skill

%

Humanitarian - South Sudanese

%

Financial circumstances – ‘poor’, ‘struggling to pay bills’ ‘just getting along’

25 32 81

‘Most people can be trusted’ / ‘Can’t be too careful’

68 / 21

48/ 32

4/ 73

24

SELF DESCRIBED FINANCIAL STATUS: HUMANITARIAN VISA

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Prosperous/ living comfortably Just getting along Struggling/ poor

2011-2015 2006-2010 2000-2005

25

3rd generation Australian

% Europe % Asia % Africa %

SEIFA 10 7 UK 11 Philippines 30 Ethiopia 60

SEIFA 9 12 Netherlands 12 Malaysia 37 Kenya 67

SEIFA 2 25 Italy 13 India 39 Zimbabwe 75

SEIFA 1 27 Greece 14 China 39 South Sudan

77

Germany 15 Thailand 50

Indigenous 59 France 22 Korea, South 55

‘Have you experienced discrimination because of your skin colour, ethnic origin or religion over the last 12 months?’

26

Sudanese and discrimination

– Pre-school

– School

– Streets

– Shops/ shopping centres

– Public transport

– Police

– Neighbours

– Applying for jobs

– Cultural norms – adjusting to Australian/ western ways

Individual capacity to cope

COLOUR PREJUDICE IN AUSTRALIA

27

Born in Australia, New Zealand and South Sudan, arrived 2001-2015 – ‘A lot of trust’ and ‘some trust’

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Do

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rs

Me

dic

are

Ho

spit

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Po

lice

Pu

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sch

oo

ls

Ch

arit

able

org

anis

atio

ns

Lega

l sys

tem

/ La

w c

ou

rts

Ce

ntr

elin

k

Emp

loye

rs

De

par

tmen

t o

f Im

mig

rati

on

Trad

e u

nio

ns

Par

liam

ent

in C

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Re

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stat

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gen

ts

Po

litic

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es

Australia New Zealand South Sudan

28

AUSTRALIA CHINA + HK INDIA S.SUDAN

DOCTORS 88 80 87 82

CENTRELINK 49 73 70 80

IMMIGRATION 37 72 77 35

POLICE 81 76 87 26

EMPLOYERS 69 49 64 20

INSTITUTIONAL TRUST – BY COUNTRY OF BIRTH

29

Discrimination is not simply a matter of majority/ minority relations

Need to understand attitudes/ behaviour within groups

Majority <> Minority

AUSTRALIA-BORN

31

SEGMENTATION OF AUSTRALIA – INCREASING?

Increasing diversity – culture, ethnicity, race, religion

Increasing numbers (as Australian population grows)

Socialisation of the next generation

– ‘Growing up different’ – multicultural/ monocultural

32

Ethnic and Cultural Tolerance Scale

Scale = 9 questions aggregated

Maximum score = 45; low score = <10, indicating

intolerance/ rejection of cultural diversity

Birthplace/ Gender

% Region % Age %

Third generation 29 Major city 18 25-34 18

All Au. born 26 Inner regional 25 55-64 25

Au. born Male/ Female

35/ 17

Outer regional 39 65+ 26

33

Ethnic and Cultural Tolerance Scale – birthplace

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

20%

0-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-45

Australia Overseas-ESB Overseas-NESB

34

Ethnic and Cultural Tolerance scale by highest educational attainment

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

0-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-45

Trade/ apprentice Bachelor degree Post-graduate

35

Ethnic and Cultural Tolerance scale by ancestry

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

0-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-45

3rd Gen AU Au-born, parents NESB

KEY ISSUES

37

PLUS / MINUS

Level of efficiency expected from immigration?

What is working well?

– Positive disposition/ view of Australia/ hope-optimism

– Business (457)

Less well?

– Recognition of qualifications/ Utilisation of qualifications

– Humanitarian program –short/ medium/ long-term?

A divided Australia? Mono/ multicultural

– Age, education, environment (region)

Long term cost/ benefit of current policy settings