A significant new poll has revealed that first-generation migrants in Australia are just as likely as other citizens to support reducing immigration levels, challenging conventional political assumptions. The survey, conducted by Fox & Hedgehog for the conservative think-tank the Institute of Public Affairs, found widespread concern over current migration policies.
Strong Support for Immigration Reduction
The comprehensive poll canvassed opinions from 1,926 people across Australia, uncovering that 58% of respondents wanted either a 'modest' or 'significant' cut to overseas arrivals. Furthermore, 60% of those surveyed believed there were 'too many' migrants currently in the country.
First-Generation Migrants Share Concerns
Perhaps most strikingly, the sentiment for reducing immigration was supported by 42% of non-citizens and 59% of first-generation Australians. Daniel Wild, deputy executive director of the IPA, explained this phenomenon to Daily Mail, stating that first-generation migrants often bear the brunt of what he described as 'out-of-control migration policy.'
'First generation migrants are generally the ones who bear the brunt of out-of-control migration policy, whether it's about housing or their children's future,' Mr Wild said. 'The other thing is to do with our values. Most migrants come to Australia because they love Australia and they want to keep it that way.'
Specific Reduction Preferences
Among Australians who wanted to see migration numbers lowered, a substantial 79% said they supported accepting fewer than 100,000 new visitors per year. This represents a significant shift in public opinion that could have major political implications.
Values and Policy Concerns
Mr Wild elaborated on why many migrants themselves support cutting immigration numbers, suggesting that recent arrivals might not share Australian values to the same extent as previous cohorts. 'But what they've seen is the most recent cohort coming in don't share our values to the same extent they did in the past,' he explained. 'So a lot of migrants say that this isn't the country they wanted to move to.'
This concern about values was reflected in the poll results, with 77% of respondents favouring requiring new migrants to sign up to a set of Australian values and standards. Mr Wild noted that immigration policy has changed significantly since the Covid pandemic, describing current numbers as 'out of control.'
Political Trust and Implications
The poll revealed significant political consequences of these shifting attitudes. Australians now trust Pauline Hanson's One Nation party most to tackle high immigration numbers, according to the survey findings. For the Coalition to have any hope of returning to power, respondents indicated the party must offer a policy to 'substantially reduce' migration, with only 31% currently trusting the Coalition to cut migrant numbers.
Nearly half of Australians surveyed believed Labor was deliberately bringing migrants to Australia in the expectation they would vote for the government at an election. Mr Wild declared that 'the idea that cutting immigration is unpopular with migrants has just been blown out of the water, with a strong majority of first-generation migrants saying they want to pull up the drawbridge.'
Call for Planned Migration
Mr Wild emphasized that migration 'must be planned for, it must have the consent of the community, and it must be targeted toward economic need. Because this has not happened, support for migration has plummeted.' The Institute of Public Affairs poll suggests that immigration has become a critical issue for Australian voters across all demographic groups, including those who have most recently arrived in the country.
Daily Mail contacted One Nation for comment regarding the poll findings that show their party is most trusted on immigration issues. The survey results indicate a significant shift in Australian public opinion that could reshape political debates and policy approaches to immigration in the coming years.
