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Contribution of Multiculturalism

28 Feb 2011

Q. Overall, has multiculturalism (that is, the acceptance of people from different countries, cultures and religions) made a positive or negative contribution to Australian society?

Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens
Total positive 57% 65% 54% 75%
Total negative 29% 24% 36% 12%
Very positive 15% 20% 10% 34%
Positive 42% 45% 44% 41%
Negative 18% 16% 21% 9%
Very negative 11% 8% 15% 9%
Made no difference 6% 6% 5% 3%
Don’t know 8% 4% 4% 4%

57% believe that multiculturalism has made a positive contribution to Australian society and 29% believe the contribution has been negative. A majority of all party voter groups believe the contribution has been positive.

Older respondents tend to have a more negative view – those aged 55+ were split 48% positive/45% negative while those aged under 35 were 65% positive and 18% negative.

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