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ImmigrationImmigration
About the author
Natasha Kassam
Natasha Kassam was Director of the Lowy Institute's Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program from 2019 to 2022, directing the annual Lowy Institute Poll and researching China’s politics, Taiwan, and Australia-China relations.
Concerns about the rate of immigration to Australia appear to have softened somewhat in 2019. After a sharp spike in 2018, fewer than half of Australians this year (47%, down seven points) say that the total number of migrants coming to Australia each year is ‘too high’. However, this level remains ten points higher than in 2014.
When considering the pros and cons of immigration more generally, a majority of Australians remain positive, but the balance of attitudes appears to be shifting. In 2019, 67% agree that ‘overall, immigration has a positive impact on the economy’, 65% say that ‘immigrants strengthen the country because of their hard work and talents’, and 62% agree that ‘accepting immigrants from many different countries makes Australia stronger’. However, each of these results is lower than in 2016 (six points, seven points and ten points, respectively).
The pressure on cities and infrastructure may be driving this shift in attitudes in 2019, with almost three-quarters (71%) of Australians saying that ‘Australian cities are already too crowded’. However, a majority of Australians (59%) reject the idea that ‘immigrants take away jobs from other Australians’, although fewer disagreed than in 2016. The population is divided on the question of whether ‘immigrants are a burden on our social welfare system’ (48% agreeing, 50% disagreeing).
Younger Australians seem to be more positive about the benefits of immigration. Three-quarters of 18–44 year olds (75%) say that ‘immigration has a positive impact on the economy of Australia’, compared with 59% of Australians over 45 years. There is a similar split on the question of whether ‘immigrants strengthen the country because of their hard work and talents’ (75:55). However, far more older Australians (58% of those aged over 45 compared with 35% of those aged 18–44), see immigrants as ‘a burden on our social welfare system’.
