4159.0.55.003 - General Social Survey: States and Territories, 2010  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 16/03/2012  First Issue
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MEDIA RELEASE
16 March 2012
Embargo: 11.30 am (Canberra Time)
31/2012

ACT has the highest acceptance of other cultures

The 2010 General Social Survey (GSS) conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) was the first to inquire into adult's acceptance of other cultures. The survey asked about the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with the statement, “It’s a good thing for a society to be made up of people from different cultures.” Nationally, 80% of respondents indicated that they agreed or strongly agreed with this statement. ACT recorded the highest proportion of positive responses to the statement, with 87% agreeing. Tasmania (77%) and Queensland (76%) recorded the lowest positive rates. In general, older age groups were less likely to agree. Tasmanians (9%) and Queenslanders (8%) were the most likely to disagree or strongly disagree with the statement.

Tasmanians were the most likely to have been born in Australia (87%) and 86% reported that all or most of their friends were from the same ethnic background as they were themselves. The jurisdictions with the lowest percentage of people reporting that all or most of their friends were from the same ethnic background were the NT (67%) and Victoria (69%).

How people keep in touch with their friends also varied between States and Territories. Those from the Northern Territory (32%) were the most likely to report seeing, on a daily basis, either their friends or those family members living outside their home compared to the national average of 20%. Canberrans (75%) were the most likely to use Internet services such as email or chat rooms to keep in touch with family or friends living outside their home while Tasmanians (51%) were the least likely to use the Internet to contact friends and family.

Use of computers and the internet has risen sharply across all States and Territories between the 2006 and 2010 surveys. While still the least likely to use computers to access the Internet at home, the proportion of Tasmanians and South Australians accessing the Internet from home increased the most of any region. In 2010 72% of Tasmanians accessed the Internet from home, up from 52% in 2006. The proportion of South Australians increased from 54% to 73%. People in the ACT had the highest level of home-based Internet access in the country (88%).

Further information is available in General Social Survey: States & Territories, 2010 (cat. no. 4159.0.55.003), available for free download from the ABS website at www.abs.gov.au


Media notes:
    • Please ensure when reporting on ABS data that you attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.