Social Cohesion Research Program

Survey of Attitudes to Social Cohesion, 2007, 2009
Project leader: Professor Andrew Markus (School of Historical Studies, Faculty of Arts, Monash University)

With the support of the Scanlon Foundation a national benchmark survey of attitudes to social cohesion was undertaken in 2007. In keeping with the original planning for the project, the survey was repeated in June – July 2009. The findings of the 2007 survey may be accessed in summary and detailed form at the following link:
www.globalmovements.monash.edu.au/publications/reports.php

A submission was made by the Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements to the Scanlon Foundation for a set of studies concerning social cohesion. Proposals for six projects, to be known collectively as the Scanlon Foundation Social Cohesion Research Program, were approved, and were undertaken over two years by various Monash scholars in association with the Australian Multicultural Foundation (AMF).

Details of the studies are as follows:

Mapping of Settler Pattern in Australia (Project 1)
Dr Nick Economou (School of Political & Social Inquiry, Faculty of Arts)

This project mapped and identified the Australian population down to Local Government Area [LGA] level by country of birth, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. It provided the framework for survey sampling purposes and a basis for obtaining material to assist testing of social cohesion determinants hypotheses. Linked to Projects 2, 3, and 4, the expertise and data collection of the Monash Centre of Urban Population Research employed for this part of the interconnected study segments.

Components of Social Cohesion (Project 2)
Professor Andrew Markus (School of Historical Studies, Faculty of Arts)

In the context of recent Australian debates concerning immigration and social cohesion, there is an urgent need to define the concept of social cohesion and develop a framework of key indicators or components of settlement outcomes and cohesion. This project adapted and applied these concepts and frameworks to broaden understanding of the nature and current state of social cohesion in Australia, and developed a set of indicators that can identify and track changes in the impact of immigration.

Attitudinal Survey Design (Project 3)
Professor Andrew Markus (School of Historical Studies, Faculty of Arts) with the Ecumenical Migration Centre (EMC) at the Brotherhood of St Laurence

This project involved two distinct parts: based on the results of Project 1 and 2: (i) a qualitative stage with a cross section of people and locations selected as most likely to contribute to understanding attitudinal determinants of social cohesion. Project 3 was linked to Project 1 which identified areas with significant cohorts of community types most likely to test the boundaries of social cohesion and community harmony. It was also linked to Project 2, which provided key components/indices of social cohesion for qualitative elaboration and results of qualitative interviews from Monash’s Springvale Community survey work.

Benchmark Survey of Attitudes to Social Cohesion (Project 4)
Professor Andrew Markus (School of Historical Studies, Faculty of Arts) and
Dr Dharmalingam Arunachalam (School of Political and Social Inquiry, Faculty of Arts)

This project included the pre testing of questions and pilot testing of the questionnaire administered in the benchmark survey of attitudes to social cohesion. It was based on a national representative sample of the Australian population and intended to provide the first comprehensive measure of the condition of social cohesion in Australia. Also supervised by Professor Andrew Markus, the independent survey firm, Social Research CentreI, was commissioned to undertake the detailed survey.

Social Cohesion in Australia (Project 5)
Editors: Professor John Nieuwenhuysen AM (Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements) and Dr James Jupp AM (Australian National University) with Ms Emma Dawson (Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements)

Building on other parts of the Scanlon Foundation’s Social Cohesion Research Program, in particular Project 2 (Components of Social Cohesion) this work involved the compilation of an edited volume entitled “Social Cohesion in Australia”. The object of the publication was to define and analyse the means by which social cohesion in Australia can be constructively strengthened (and, by implication, the current threats to social cohesion countered). Among the topics explored were: Australia's immigration and settlement programs; understanding and managing intra-ethnic and interethnic violence in Australia: interethnic marriage and cohesion; ethnic population and concentration patterns; the rural/urban divide; Indigenous Australia and social cohesion; religion and social cohesion; police and social cohesiveness; human rights; and the media and cohesiveness. The volume was published by Cambridge University Press and launched at the 12th International Metropolis Conference in October 2007.

Minorities in Australian and International Societies (Project 6)
Dr David Wright-Neville (School of Political and Social Inquiry, Faculty of Arts) and
Drs Bobo Lo and Nadim Shehadi (Chatham House, London)

This project arose from the danger that new arrivals in a country may undertake acts of political violence. The implications for high level, widely sourced immigration programs, are obvious: the threat of violence potentially disrupts social cohesion, the willingness of the host population to countenance continuing inflows of people from abroad, especially from activist countries, becomes increasingly compromised. The rationale for this project was that the lessons learned elsewhere and the comparative policies adopted are relevant to the future of Australia ’s immigration, settlement and social cohesion policies. A workshop was held and ensuing publication will be produced.