Australian Immigration 2001–2013: Exploring attitudes towards asylum seekers and immigrants

Abstract

This research investigates public attitudes in Australia towards government immigration policy, the effects of immigration on society and support for immigrants. It also examines attitudes towards asylum seekers, by investigating views concerning whether boats carrying asylum seekers should be turned back. In the context of international theories dealing with attitude formation, this study examines the extent to which political affiliation, human capital and economic competition theories apply to the formation of attitudes towards regular immigrants in Australia and to what extent the same theories can be applied to the study of attitudes towards asylum seekers. This research focuses on the period 2001–2013, which saw significant policy change and attention given to migration issues. In the early 2000s, political elites of the two major parties in Australia abandoned the longstanding bipartisan approach to dealing with asylum seekers arriving in the country by boat and adopted different policies. By the time of the federal election in 2013, the two major parties had returned to a largely bipartisan view of how to respond to the arrival of asylum seekers. Such concentrated attention and policy change makes the period especially valuable to studies of migration and social cohesion. Accepting that attitudes towards asylum seekers and other immigrants are multidimensional, this research investigates the role of partisanship, education, socioeconomic and other background factors in relation to attitudes towards both regular migrants and asylum seekers. Recognising the complex role of policy and the language of public debate in both reflecting and instigating public attitudes towards immigration, this study is positioned in the context of existing empirical research addressing the formation of attitudes. My research finds support for the idea that strongly identifying with the political right, and having low levels of interest in politics, are both negatively associated with attitudes towards migrants in Australia. It also reveals a complex relationship between higher education and attitudes, and finds little evidence to suggest that economic considerations are at the core of attitude formation towards migrants in Australia. This research also examines the role of specific knowledge about asylum issues in Australia in relation to attitudes towards asylum seekers, by using a bespoke quiz and survey of university students. The analysis reveals that among the students who hold highly favourable views towards asylum seekers there are many misperceptions about seeking asylum in Australia, a finding which adds to and complicates existing research that shows misperceptions concerning other kinds of migrants are generally correlated with unfavourable views. Show more