(08/02/12) -

Australians Split on Immigration and Policies on Asylum-Seekers

Only 18 per cent of respondents would increase the number of legal immigrants who are allowed to relocate to Australia.

Australian adults are divided when assessing the effect that immigration is having in their country, a new poll conducted by Vision Critical Opinions Australia in partnership with Nine Rewards and Angus Reid Public Opinion has found.

In the online survey of a representative sample of 1,505 Australian adults, 45 per cent of respondents believe immigration is having a negative effect in Australia, while 35 per cent think it is having a positive effect.

Just under one-in-five Australians (18%) believe the number of legal immigrants who are allowed to relocate in Australia should increase, while 35 per cent want the level to remain the same, and 40 per cent believe the country should take in fewer legal immigrants.

The Government has proposed a policy, whereby asylum-seekers who attempt to reach Australia by boat are sent to Malaysia in exchange for Australia taking in some of Malaysia’s refugees. The policy seeks to prevent people-smugglers from being able to promise asylum-seekers relocation to Australia. Australians are evenly divided when assessing this idea, with 44 per cent saying they agree with it, and 44 per cent voicing disagreement.

The Government’s plan to increase its aid and assistance to Indonesia as part of an effort to curb asylum-seekers who attempt to reach Australia by boat is also polarising, with 45 per cent showing some support for this plan, and 45 per cent opposing it. Younger Australians, aged 18-to-34, are more likely to endorse the plan to increase aid and assistance to Indonesia (51%). The majority of those over the age of 55 (57%) oppose the proposal.

Compared to the views outlined by respondents to Angus Reid Public Opinion polls conducted recently, Australians are slightly more likely than Canadians to say that immigration is having a negative effect in their country—and well below the majority of respondents in the United States and Britain who believe this to be the case.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Peter Harris, Managing Director, Vision Critical AUS/NZ
+02 9256 2001
peter.harris@visioncritical.com

Methodology: From July 6 to July 8, 2012, Vision Critical Australia conducted an online survey among 1,505 randomly selected Australian adults who are Nine Rewards panellists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.5%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region data to ensure samples representative of the entire adult population of Australia. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.