Academic literature on the topic 'Ethnic groups Australia Public opinion'

ObjectivesIn this study, we aimed to measure the awareness, acceptability and perceptions of current issues in biosecurity posed by infectious diseases dual-use research of concern (DURC) in the community. DURC is conducted today in many locations around the world for the benefit of humanity but may also cause harm through either a laboratory accident or deliberate misuse. Most DURC is approved by animal ethics committees, which do not typically consider harm to humans. Given the unique characteristics of contagion and the potential for epidemics and pandemics, the community is an important stakeholder in DURC.DesignSelf-administered web-based cross-sectional survey.ParticipantsParticipants over the age of 18 in Australia and 21 in the USA were included in the survey. A total of 604 participants completed the study. The results of 52 participants were excluded due to potential biases about DURC stemming from their employment as medical researchers, infectious diseases researchers or law enforcement professionals, leaving 552 participants. Of those, 274 respondents resided in Australia and 278 in the USA.OutcomesBaseline awareness, acceptability and perceptions of current issues surrounding DURC. Changes in perception from baseline were measured after provision of information about DURC.ResultsPresurvey, 77% of respondents were unaware of DURC and 64% found it unacceptable or were unsure. Two-thirds of respondents did not change their views. The baseline perception of high risk for laboratory accidents (29%) and deliberate bioterrorism (34%) was low but increased with increasing provision of information (42% and 44% respectively, p<0.001), with men more accepting of DURC (OR=1.79, 95% CI 1.25 to 2.57, p=0.002). Postsurvey, higher education predicted lower risk perception of laboratory accidents (OR=0.56, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.93, p=0.02) and bioterrorism (OR=0.48, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.80, p=0.004).ConclusionThe community is an important stakeholder in infectious diseases DURC but has a low awareness of this kind of research. Only a minority support DURC, and this proportion decreased with increasing provision of knowledge. There were differences of opinion between age groups, gender and education levels. The community should be informed and engaged in decisions about DURC.

Multiculturalism has emerged to challenge liberalism as an ideological solution in coping with ethnic diversity in the United States. This article develops a definition of political multiculturalism which refers to conceptions of identity, community and public policy. It then analyses the 1994 General Social Survey and a 1994 survey of Los Angeles County to assess the contours of mass support and opposition to multiculturalism, testing hypotheses concerning the role of social background, liberalism–conservatism and racial hostility. The main conclusions are that ‘hard’ versions of multiculturalism are rejected in all ethnic groups, that a liberal political self-identification boosts support for multiculturalism, and that racial hostility is a consistent source of antagonism to the new ethnic agenda of multiculturalism. There is strong similarity in the results in both the national and Los Angeles samples.

China's public opinion involving ethnic factors has the characteristics of complicated causes and difficult disposal, which are mainly caused by the rapid movement of ethnic groups, the intensification of social transformation and the influence of hostile forces. At present, there are some problems in our country's public opinion governance mechanism involving ethnic factors, such as nonstandard handling, low efficiency, insufficient handling power and weak basic work. We should improve our public opinion governance mechanism involving ethnic factors from three aspects: changing our understanding, changing our methods, changing our methods, covering up our secrets, making public introductions, and changing our effect, putting out the fire and emergency, and improving our rectification.

AbstractPublic opinion research has demonstrated that minority religious and ethnic groups hold distinctive preferences on foreign policy issues, including military interventions in the Cold War and post-Cold War eras. There has been little scholarly research in Britain into the attitudes of minority groups on foreign policy issues. This article uses a nationally-representative survey of the ethnic minority population in Britain to examine the sources of public opinion towards the war in Afghanistan. Using multivariate analysis, it finds strong effects for religious affiliation, religiosity and political alienation. There is also evidence of a “gender gap” and age-related differences. The paper contributes to the literature on the impact of religion on public opinion and foreign policy and to analysis of the political attitudes of minority groups in Britain.

The present study deals with the issues of inter-ethnic and interconfessional understanding in the Khanty-Mansijsk Autonomous District – Yugra. The authors pay special attention to interconnection between conflict sentiments and social and political issues (employment relations, cooperation of citi-zens and public organizations with authorities, so-cial feeling of citizens). There was conducted an analysis of specific nature of how respondents, who identify themselves with different ethnic groups, perceive such elements of ethnocultural traditions as religious practices and speaking their native lan-guage. The study examines peculiar attitudes to religious traditions both in the host and migrant societies, the patterns of expansion of protest sen-timents among respondents belonging to different ethnic groups, as well as correlation between such sentiments and problems of interethnic and inter-confessional relations. There are identified socioec-onomic and cultural factors of developing a conflict-free style of interethnic and interconfessional rela-tions.

Since the late 1950s, when the medical use of heroin was banned in Australia, government policy toward marijuana has been based on prohibition. Despite an upsurge in the use of marijuana in the 1960s, government policy has remained virtually unchanged, except for the introduction of the expiation notice in South Australia in 1986. The authors use a wide range of opinion poll data to show that attitudes toward marijuana have remained stable over the past two decades, although the most recent data suggest that public support for reform of the legal status of marijuana may be increasing. There are notable differences in opinion between sociodemographic groups, with men, the young, and those who have been exposed to marijuana being more likely to support reform. The authors argue that as more people who have been exposed to marijuana enter the electorate and as New Politics issues become more prominent, the legal status of marijuana could become a political party issue. Data collected during the 1990 federal election among election candidates suggest that the potential for political party conflict already exists.

The paper presents an analysis of the needs and perception of different ethnic groups with regard to public spaces in the central areas of major Lithuanian cities, and an evaluation of the possibilities for implementing solutions to them, in order to highlight the needs within the spatial structures. Three research methods were chosen to determine the importance of the needs of different cultures when creating public spaces. The first is a sociological survey of the opinion of different ethnic groups based on three main models of environmental psychology: the natural, physical and the social and behavioural environments. The second is a stimulatory-comparative sociological survey of the opinion of different ethnic groups, and the third is the expert assessment of the level of attractiveness of existing public spaces in major Lithuanian cities based on Nikos Salingaros? parameters according to a classification of visual information into morphological/structural and harmony-related evaluation parameters, which were evaluated by respondents and by observations in situ. The main findings of the research showed the importance of the needs of different cultures in public space, and the principle of harmony between human beings and the environment was highlighted in the main morphological and harmony-related features of public spaces, such as spaciousness, small architectural elements, dominant objects/buildings and the abundance of trees/greenery.

AbstractObjective:To examine differences in eating and physical activity behaviours among ethnic groups in Queensland, Australia, and differences in those behaviours due to the duration of residency in Australia.Design:Cross-sectional study using baseline data collected for the Living Well Multicultural–Lifestyle Modification Program between October 2014 and June 2017.Setting:Culturally and linguistically diverse communities (CALD), including Afghani, Somali, Burmese, Pacific and South Sea Islander, Sri Lankan, Sudanese and Vietnamese, living in Queensland, Australia.Participants:People were recruited if they were ≥18 years old and living in the targeted CALD communities.Results:Burmese/Vietnamese, on average, had better eating scores in line with Australian dietary guidelines, compared with Afghani/Arabic-speaking (difference = 2·05 points, 95 % CI 1·39, 2·72), Somali/Sudanese (difference = 1·53 points, 95 % CI 0·79, 2·28) and Pacific Islander (difference = 1·46 points, 95 % CI 0·79, 2·13). Association between ethnicity and meeting the physical activity guideline was not significant. Those who stayed in Australia longer than a year were less likely to meet the physical activity guideline than those staying <1 year (OR = 0·51, 95 % CI 0·31, 0·84). There was no significant association between duration of residency in Australia and eating scores.Conclusions:Eating behaviours were significantly different among the ethnic groups in Queensland with Burmese/Vietnamese and Sri Lankan/Bhutanese having the healthiest diets. All ethnic groups were less likely to meet the physical activity guideline compared with the general Australian population. People with duration of residency of at least 1 year in Australia were less likely to meet the physical activity guideline compared with those who had shorter stays.

This article examines data from a 1991 national public opinion survey on attitudes toward juvenile crime/justice. Specifically, it explores the relationship between demographic variables and opinions toward trying juveniles in adult courts, giving them adult sentences, and sentencing them to adult prisons. The findings indicate that a majority of typical respondents favor trying juveniles in adult courts for serious felonies. Additionally, punitive attitudes toward juveniles decrease up to a certain age, usually around 50, and then increase. Findings also show that African-American parents are more supportive of punitive juvenile justice policies than other racial/ethnic groups with and without children.

The world has witnessed the establishment of regional and global strategic environment and the 21st century is no exception. It helps encouraging geo-economical and geostrategic partnership among countries. The Belt and Road initiative (BRI) of which China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a flagship project is a major developmental project. The CPEC, undeniably, presents ample opportunities and to both China and Pakistan, it is not a smooth sailing ship as it is jolted by high winds and thrashing waves from all sides. It has invited discontent from inside and criticism from the outside from the very beginning. These voices of discontent especially from the ethnic groups living in close proximity of CPEC projects occasionally have resulted into creating an impression that this project would be doomed. This paper is an attempt to revisit the determinants and challenges that Islamabad is facing both from inside and the outside to implement this mega project. More specifically, it analyses the internal discontent that is reflected through protests by various ethnic groups that feel deprived of the promised economic fruits of this project. It further seeks to evaluate the challenges that exist in the form of public support and public concerns about the promised benefits of CPEC projects. This study is qualitative in nature that utilizes both primary and secondary sources of data collection. Significantly high level of awareness is found among masses about CPEC but public support and concerns are posing serious challenges for the government. Analyzing both the internal and external challenges, a strong resolve have been demonstrated by both Pakistan and China to counter these threats pragmatically. The internal discontent of the various ethnic groups poses a serious challenge, so it is imperative to address the grievances of these aggrieved groups on practical grounds. Keywords: Strategic partnership; Determinants; Challenges; China-Pakistan Economic Corridor; Belt and Road Initiative; Discontent; Criticism; Ethnic groups etc.

The purpose of this study was to examine the social perceptions of young children with disabilities and young children of color. Further, an attempt was made to determine whether differential rates of acceptance were experienced by either group, or by the group of children who were of color and also had a disability within integrated classrooms. Young children (age 5.0 through 6.11) were studied in intact groups (N=120) from child care centers in the Texas counties of Denton and Dallas. Three measures of social perceptions were implemented: (a) a forced choice (multiple alternative) technique using dolls of a variety of ethnicities and ability statuses in which children must select dolls they feel represent a list of positive and negative attributes; (b) social distance theory as measured by children's artwork; (c) a sociometric rating. The results of this study showed significant areas (p< 05) of stereotype and bias in the perceptions of young children toward ethnicity, disability and gender. Implications for further research into the efficacy of multicultural and anti-bias education programs is recommended.

This chapter reports analyses drawn from the 2006 American National Election Studies Pilot Study. It focuses on the extent to which defensive confidence influences partisan defection and affects other political behaviors. In addition, also considers several interrelated issues: whether or not the levels of defensive confidence differ across demographic and ethnic groups; what we can learn about citizens' attention to politics and government affairs and to the news and if these forms of attention are related to defensive confidence and partisan defection; and if people with higher levels of defensive confidence are more likely to participate in politics than people with lower levels of defensive confidence. The chapter first provides an overview of defensive confidence and its development in the literature. It then presents an analysis of the influence of defensive confidence on partisan defection, attention to government and politics, attention to the news, and political participation.

The chapter explains how and why public concerns over Britain’s involvement in the slave trade transmuted into an historically unprecedented nationwide social movement in 1787–1792 capable of coercing Parliament to contemplate moves to regulate and abolish it. It looks at the aims and objectives of the London Society established in 1787 to seek abolition; the public constituency (or “the people”) it identified as critical to its success; the methods it and likeminded bodies in Britain adopted to mobilize and energize its opinion through national petitioning campaigns and other activities to pressurize Parliament; the breadth and depth of the appeal of anti–slave trade ideas across class, gender, and ethnic boundaries; and the personal experiences that motivated individuals and different social groups to support abolitionism. The analysis is informed by contemporary and academic definitions of “the people” and of social movements, and by suggestions of linkages among urbanization, identity, political representation, social change, and mass politics in Britain during the onset of the Industrial Revolution.

Aim/Purpose: This paper provides the results of the preliminary analysis of the findings of an ongoing study that seeks to examine the social media use, cultural and political awareness, civic engagement, issue prioritization, and social activism of Gen Z students enrolled at four different institutional types located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The aim of this study is to look at the group as a whole as well as compare findings across populations. The institutional types under consideration include a mid-sized majority serving or otherwise referred to as a traditionally white institution (TWI) located in a small coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean, a small Historically Black University (HBCU) located in a rural area, a large community college located in a county that is a mixture of rural and suburban and which sits on the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and graduating high school students enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs in a large urban area. This exploration is purposed to examine the behaviors and expectations of Gen Z students within a representative American region during a time of tremendous turmoil and civil unrest in the United States. Background: Over 74 million strong, Gen Z makes up almost one-quarter of the U.S. population. They already outnumber any current living generation and are the first true digital natives. Born after 1996 and through 2012, they are known for their short attention spans and heightened ability to multi-task. Raised in the age of the smart phone, they have been tethered to digital devices from a young age with most having the preponderance of their childhood milestones commemorated online. Often called Zoomers, they are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation and are on track to be the most well-educated generation in history. Gen Zers in the United States have been found in the research to be progressive and pro-government and viewing increasing racial and ethnic diversity as positive change. Finally, they are less likely to hold xenophobic beliefs such as the notion of American exceptionalism and superiority that have been popular with by prior generations. The United States has been in a period of social and civil unrest in recent years with concerns over systematic racism, rampant inequalities, political polarization, xenophobia, police violence, sexual assault and harassment, and the growing epidemic of gun violence. Anxieties stirred by the COVID-19 pandemic further compounded these issues resulting in a powder keg explosion occurring throughout the summer of 2020 and leading well into 2021. As a result, the United States has deteriorated significantly in the Civil Unrest Index falling from 91st to 34th. The vitriol, polarization, protests, murders, and shootings have all occurred during Gen Z’s formative years, and the limited research available indicates that it has shaped their values and political views. Methodology: The Mid-Atlantic region is a portion of the United States that exists as the overlap between the northeastern and southeastern portions of the country. It includes the nation’s capital, as well as large urban centers, small cities, suburbs, and rural enclaves. It is one of the most socially, economically, racially, and culturally diverse parts of the United States and is often referred to as the “typically American region.” An electronic survey was administered to students from 2019 through 2021 attending a high school dual enrollment program, a minority serving institution, a majority serving institution, and a community college all located within the larger mid-Atlantic region. The survey included a combination of multiple response, Likert scaled, dichotomous, open ended, and ordinal questions. It was developed in the Survey Monkey system and reviewed by several content and methodological experts in order to examine bias, vagueness, or potential semantic problems. Finally, the survey was pilot tested prior to implementation in order to explore the efficacy of the research methodology. It was then modified accordingly prior to widespread distribution to potential participants. The surveys were administered to students enrolled in classes taught by the authors all of whom are educators. Participation was voluntary, optional, and anonymous. Over 800 individuals completed the survey with just over 700 usable results, after partial completes and the responses of individuals outside of the 18-24 age range were removed. Findings: Participants in this study overwhelmingly were users of social media. In descending order, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Tik Tok were the most popular social media services reported as being used. When volume of use was considered, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Twitter were the most cited with most participants reporting using Instagram and Snapchat multiple times a day. When asked to select which social media service they would use if forced to choose just one, the number one choice was YouTube followed by Instagram and Snapchat. Additionally, more than half of participants responded that they have uploaded a video to a video sharing site such as YouTube or Tik Tok. When asked about their familiarity with different technologies, participants overwhelmingly responded that they are “very familiar” with smart phones, searching the Web, social media, and email. About half the respondents said that they were “very familiar” with common computer applications such as the Microsoft Office Suite or Google Suite with another third saying that they were “somewhat familiar.” When asked about Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Blackboard, Course Compass, Canvas, Edmodo, Moodle, Course Sites, Google Classroom, Mindtap, Schoology, Absorb, D2L, itslearning, Otus, PowerSchool, or WizIQ, only 43% said they were “very familiar” with 31% responding that they were “somewhat familiar.” Finally, about half the students were either “very” or “somewhat” familiar with operating systems such as Windows. A few preferences with respect to technology in the teaching and learning process were explored in the survey. Most students (85%) responded that they want course announcements and reminders sent to their phones, 76% expect their courses to incorporate the use of technology, 71% want their courses to have course websites, and 71% said that they would rather watch a video than read a book chapter. When asked to consider the future, over 81% or respondents reported that technology will play a major role in their future career. Most participants considered themselves “informed” or “well informed” about current events although few considered themselves “very informed” or “well informed” about politics. When asked how they get their news, the most common forum reported for getting news and information about current events and politics was social media with 81% of respondents reporting. Gen Z is known to be an engaged generation and the participants in this study were not an exception. As such, it came as no surprise to discover that, in the past year more than 78% of respondents had educated friends or family about an important social or political issue, about half (48%) had donated to a cause of importance to them, more than a quarter (26%) had participated in a march or rally, and a quarter (26%) had actively boycotted a product or company. Further, about 37% consider themselves to be a social activist with another 41% responding that aren’t sure if they would consider themselves an activist and only 22% saying that they would not consider themselves an activist. When asked what issues were important to them, the most frequently cited were Black Lives Matter (75%), human trafficking (68%), sexual assault/harassment/Me Too (66.49%), gun violence (65.82%), women’s rights (65.15%), climate change (55.4%), immigration reform/deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) (48.8%), and LGBTQ+ rights (47.39%). When the schools were compared, there were only minor differences in social media use with the high school students indicating slightly more use of Tik Tok than the other participants. All groups were virtually equal when it came to how informed they perceived themselves about current events and politics. Consensus among groups existed with respect to how they get their news, and the community college and high school students were slightly more likely to have participated in a march, protest, or rally in the last 12 months than the university students. The community college and high school students were also slightly more likely to consider themselves social activists than the participants from either of the universities. When the importance of the issues was considered, significant differences based on institutional type were noted. Black Lives Matter (BLM) was identified as important by the largest portion of students attending the HBCU followed by the community college students and high school students. Less than half of the students attending the TWI considered BLM an important issue. Human trafficking was cited as important by a higher percentage of students attending the HBCU and urban high school than at the suburban and rural community college or the TWI. Sexual assault was considered important by the majority of students at all the schools with the percentage a bit smaller from the majority serving institution. About two thirds of the students at the high school, community college, and HBCU considered gun violence important versus about half the students at the majority serving institution. Women’s rights were reported as being important by more of the high school and HBCU participants than the community college or TWI. Climate change was considered important by about half the students at all schools with a slightly smaller portion reporting out the HBCU. Immigration reform/DACA was reported as important by half the high school, community college, and HBCU participants with only a third of the students from the majority serving institution citing it as an important issue. With respect to LGBTQ rights approximately half of the high school and community college participants cited it as important, 44.53% of the HBCU students, and only about a quarter of the students attending the majority serving institution. Contribution and Conclusion: This paper provides a timely investigation into the mindset of generation Z students living in the United States during a period of heightened civic unrest. This insight is useful to educators who should be informed about the generation of students that is currently populating higher education. The findings of this study are consistent with public opinion polls by Pew Research Center. According to the findings, the Gen Z students participating in this study are heavy users of multiple social media, expect technology to be integrated into teaching and learning, anticipate a future career where technology will play an important role, informed about current and political events, use social media as their main source for getting news and information, and fairly engaged in social activism. When institutional type was compared the students from the university with the more affluent and less diverse population were less likely to find social justice issues important than the other groups. Recommendations for Practitioners: During disruptive and contentious times, it is negligent to think that the abounding issues plaguing society are not important to our students. Gauging the issues of importance and levels of civic engagement provides us crucial information towards understanding the attitudes of students. Further, knowing how our students gain information, their social media usage, as well as how informed they are about current events and political issues can be used to more effectively communicate and educate. Recommendations for Researchers: As social media continues to proliferate daily life and become a vital means of news and information gathering, additional studies such as the one presented here are needed. Additionally, in other countries facing similarly turbulent times, measuring student interest, awareness, and engagement is highly informative. Impact on Society: During a highly contentious period replete with a large volume of civil unrest and compounded by a global pandemic, understanding the behaviors and attitudes of students can help us as higher education faculty be more attuned when it comes to the design and delivery of curriculum. Future Research This presentation presents preliminary findings. Data is still being collected and much more extensive statistical analyses will be performed.