Attitudes to multiculturalism, immigration and cultural diversity: Comparison of dominant and non-dominant groups in three Australian states

This paper presents research on the attitudes to multiculturalism, immigration, and cultural diversity of dominant and non-dominant groups in three Australian states. The study utilized an adaptation of the original International Study of Attitudes toward Immigration and Settlement (ISATIS) instrument developed by John Berry and colleagues. Results from our quantitative and qualitative data demonstrated favorable attitudes toward cultural diversity and support for multiculturalism amongst the Australians in our sample, in general. Women, immigrants and non-dominant cultural groups held more positive attitudes than men, non-immigrants and dominant groups for some dimensions. Consistent with previous Australian research, there was evidence of attitudinal ambivalence, with participants expressing concerns about the perceived negative consequences of cultural diversity. Participants also expressed negative attitudes toward particular outgroups, such as Muslims and Arabs. The results are discussed in terms of the complex nature of multiculturalism attitudes and the need to examine these in a variety of contexts.