Migrants and multiculturalism: A survey of attitudes in darwin
Titel:
Migrants and multiculturalism: A survey of attitudes in darwin
Auteur:
Ho, Robert Niles, Sushila Penney, Ron Thomas, Alan
Verschenen in:
Australian psychologist
Paginering:
Jaargang 29 (1994) nr. 1 pagina's 62-70
Jaar:
1994-03-01
Inhoud:
The policy of multiculturalism has been enthusiastically endorsed by the Australian Government. However, the question arises as to whether this enthusiasm is matched by a similar view at the societal level. This study investigates the attitudes of Australian-born residents of Darwin in Northern Australia toward a number of issues relating to migrants and multiculturalism. Specifically, the study focuses on three research questions: (a) What is the extent of support for the provision of ethnically based services/programs for migrants? (b) How are different “types” of migrants perceived in terms of their acceptability? (c) What is the extent of support for the policy of multiculturalism and its underlying dimensions? A total of 655 Australian-born respondents (331 males, 324 females) were surveyed. The results indicate that while there is strong support for those services which are perceived to facilitate the integration of migrants into mainstream Australian society, there is also clear disapproval of those services which are perceived to favour migrants unfairly as well as contributing to the entrenchment of differences in Australian society. Level of acceptance of different types of migrants indicates a clear preference for migrants of Western European descent, as well as for migrants who are well educated, have a skilled trade, or could be useful to this country. The results obtained from the multicultural variables indicate a discrepancy between support for the dimensions underlying multiculturalism and support for the policy itself. Specifically, the strong support for the underlying dimensions was not reflected in the moderate support for the overall policy. The implications of these findings for the perception of ethnic relations in Darwin are discussed.