Letters: Australians on Indians

This refers to the report “Indians more racially targeted now than other Asians in Australia” (October 27). The Scanlan Foundation Mapping Social Cohesion Survey 2012 – on which the report is based – asked respondents whether their feelings towards different immigrant groups were positive, negative or neutral. In the case of Indian immigrants, the survey found that 46.9 per cent were either very positive or somewhat positive, 37.7 per cent were neutral and 13.6 per cent were somewhat negative (8.9 per cent) or very negative (4.7 per cent). The report failed to mention that 84.6 per cent of respondents were either positive or neutral in their feelings towards Indian immigrants.

 

Further, between the 2010-11 survey and the 2012 survey, the percentage of respondents who said they had positive feelings towards Indian immigrants increased 5.2 per cent, while those who said they had negative feelings towards Indian immigrants decreased 1.4 per cent. The study made no link between feelings towards particular immigrant groups and racism or racist attacks.

Peter N Varghese AO
High Commissioner
Australian High Commission, New Delhi

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