Searching for our identity as Australians is more than just an ivory tower exercise. Quantitative research may never provide fully satisfactory answers, but it does make a serious contribution to such searching.
Recently I joined a panel to discuss the latest in a series of ANU Polls, which seek to extend our understanding of Australian society. This one was about 'Australian Attitudes towards National Identity: Citizenship, Immigration and Tradition'.
At one level we Australians are pretty happy with ourselves; perhaps that is why we are also quite traditional and resistant to change. But there is also evidence of some disquiet with aspects of our society and of tensions in attitudes towards ‘big-ticket’ items, like immigration and the republic.
When asked what it means to be ‘Australian’ 92 per cent, higher than before, responded that it included speaking the English language, while 44 per cent, lower than previously, thought it meant being born in Australia. While I was surprised that the latter figure was so high at least the fact that it is going down is encouraging evidence that Australia is becoming a more inclusive society.
The responses related to 'Pride in Australia' were also intriguing. We are not generally 'my country right or wrong' proud, but we do come across as a nation proud of lots of things about our country; especially proud of scientific and technological achievements (90 per cent), which is perhaps surprising, and equally of our sporting achievements (90 per cent), which is to be expected. We are also proud of our armed forces (88 per cent), which in the year of the centenary of Gallipoli rings true.
But beyond that our pride diminishes. Only 82 per cent are proud of the way our democracy works, a high figure perhaps, but in comparison to the other figures above not so high. In answer to an associated question 35 per cent of us are dissatisfied with the way our country is heading.
A relatively low 73 per cent are proud of our social security system, and an even lower 67 per cent are proud of the extent of our fair and equal treatment of groups in society. There figures contain insights and warning signs for governments, political parties and the whole community.
So far as attitudes towards immigration and monarchy/republic are concerned we are torn. It is reassuring, in a highly contested field, that 42 per cent of us, the largest group, think that the number of immigrants being received into Australia is about right, and 26 per cent believe the number should be increased. High numbers also believe that immigrants improve Australian society (86 per cent) and are generally good for our economy (83 per cent).
But Australians overwhelmingly, 65 per cent in total, believe that stronger measures should be taken to 'exclude illegal immigrants'. The framing of this question can certainly be challenged, but the authors of the official report on the poll comment that 'support for Australia’s border protection policies of recent years is both widespread and resilient'.
Republican sentiment in Australia remains surprisingly resilient too given the pro-royal context of the past decade or so since the failed 1999 referendum. Support for a republic has fallen more than ten points since 1998. But a majority of Australians (54 per cent) still believe that Australia should become a republic with an Australian head of state and only 29 per cent approve of the Prime Minister’s decision to reintroduce knights and dames to official Australian honours. In the current mix of royal tours by princes and duchesses and royal babies such relatively unwavering republican beliefs fly in the face of conventional wisdom.
If there is a common thread to our attitudes to two such seemingly different subjects like immigration and monarchy/republic then maybe it is our perception of our external environment. In a threatening world attachment to tradition becomes more attractive. Welcoming new people to our country and welcoming constitutional change demands a willingness to be bold. As a nation it appears that we tentatively want to move in that direction, but we also are not yet quite ready to go forward either with confidence or too quickly.
John Warhurst is an Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the Australian National University and a Canberra Times columnist.