Australian communities, especially those with high levels of ethnic and cultural diversity, are vibrant, cohesive, and well-connected places. This cohesiveness does not always show up in the survey data and the numbers that are collected. However, awareness of racism is rising in the community and this is a good movement of national opinion.
The 2022 Mapping Social Cohesion survey indicates Australians continue to strongly support ethnic diversity and multiculturalism, in line with a long-term positive trend.
But people also continue to experience discrimination based on their skin colour, ethnic origin, or religion. Negative perceptions also persist in Australia about different groups, including Muslim Australians and non-European migrants. While 90% of respondents have positive views about migrants from Europe or the United Kingdom, this drops to 70% for Indian immigrants, and about 60% for arrivals from Ethiopia, Lebanon, China, Iraq and Sudan.
While the problems persist, the overall trend is positive. In 2020, 52% of respondents reported having positive feelings towards Chinese immigrants. In 2022, that increased to 61%. During that same time-frame, respondents with negative attitudes towards Muslims decreased from 40% in 2020 to 29%.
The 2022 Mapping Social Cohesion Report continues to provide us with the most significant and detailed profile of social cohesion in Australia today. Again, it reveals our perceptions of immigration, trust in government, multiculturalism and our neighbourhoods. Importantly, it enables each of us to better understand how we can strengthen bonds between people and build a welcoming and cohesive society.