Behaviors and Beliefs Held by Australians about Asylum Seekers
This report was commissioned to examine the behaviours and beliefs held by Australians in regards to the people identified as asylum seekers who arrive in Australia in search of humanitarian aid.
The research draws attention to different newspaper commentators and evidence found by the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre that displays an overall negative and ill-informed opinions regarding asylum seekers. Further investigation revealed that many Australians, because of political jargon and journalistic hate-mongering, aren’t fully informed on asylum seekers, their human rights, and the expectation that Australian, as a signatory to the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, will assist them when they have been forced to flee from unlawful persecution.
The information regarding the negative attitudes from many Australians towards asylum seekers was used to investigate ways in which a social marketing campaign could be implemented to influence a more open-minded and humanitarian approach towards asylum seekers.
Through the use of the Social Cognitive Theory as a foundation for a social marketing campaign it is recommended that:
Marketers wishing to eradicate racist and prejudicial feelings toward asylum seekers should aim at younger generations to stop racist behaviours starting from a young age.
For older generations, it would be advisable that social marketing campaigners use newspapers and informative websites that dispel ill-informed rumors and mistruths about asylum seekers to make Australia a more racially tolerant society.
Table of contents
Introduction
Analysis of Australia’s perceptions of asylum seekers
The Social Cognitive Theory
The Social Marketing Planning Process
Recommendations
Conclusion
References
Introduction
During the last Australian Census in August 2006, 22.2% of the Australian population was born overseas (ABS, 2006). Even with this vastly multicultural society however, racism is prevalent and is still
The research draws attention to different newspaper commentators and evidence found by the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre that displays an overall negative and ill-informed opinions regarding asylum seekers. Further investigation revealed that many Australians, because of political jargon and journalistic hate-mongering, aren’t fully informed on asylum seekers, their human rights, and the expectation that Australian, as a signatory to the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, will assist them when they have been forced to flee from unlawful persecution.
The information regarding the negative attitudes from many Australians towards asylum seekers was used to investigate ways in which a social marketing campaign could be implemented to influence a more open-minded and humanitarian approach towards asylum seekers.
Through the use of the Social Cognitive Theory as a foundation for a social marketing campaign it is recommended that:
Marketers wishing to eradicate racist and prejudicial feelings toward asylum seekers should aim at younger generations to stop racist behaviours starting from a young age.
For older generations, it would be advisable that social marketing campaigners use newspapers and informative websites that dispel ill-informed rumors and mistruths about asylum seekers to make Australia a more racially tolerant society.
Table of contents
Introduction
Analysis of Australia’s perceptions of asylum seekers
The Social Cognitive Theory
The Social Marketing Planning Process
Recommendations
Conclusion
References
Introduction
During the last Australian Census in August 2006, 22.2% of the Australian population was born overseas (ABS, 2006). Even with this vastly multicultural society however, racism is prevalent and is still
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