Support For Multiculturalism Drops In Australia

Nearly three-quarters of Australians favour multiculturalism, but support for the concept has dropped over the years, the latest Newspoll shows. The poll printed in The Australian newspaper shows support for multiculturalism has dropped eight percentage points to 70 per cent since 1997.The biggest decline in support has been among coalition voters, those on low incomes and those aged over 50. Support for multiculturalism remains strongest among the young and those earning more than $70,000 a year. The perception of racism in Australia have remained unchanged since 1997, when 44 per cent said they believed the nation was racist. But there has been a decline in how Australians view themselves on the question of tolerance. In 1997, 56 per cent said Australians were tolerant, that rose to 59 per cent in 2003 and fell again to 53 per cent when the poll was taken last weekend.