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
cto
rs
Me
dic
are
Ho
spit
als
Po
lice
Pu
blic
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
anb
err
a
Re
al e
stat
e a
gen
ts
Po
litic
al p
arti
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
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