New Research: Sense of Belonging among Multilingual Audiences in Australia

The University of Canberra and SBS have released the findings of a new joint research paper, Sense of Belonging among Multilingual Audiences in Australia.

*VIDEO PRESENTATION AVAILABLE HERE*

*FULL REPORT AVAILABLE HERE*

The report which is now available here, has revealed that multilingual audiences who feel represented in the news are more likely to feel a sense of belonging; and that those who feel they belong, in turn, are more willing to participate and engage in Australian society.

For audiences who see themselves represented in SBS News, the link with their sense of belonging appears to be stronger compared to audiences who feel represented in the news media more generally. This highlights the value of a multilingual, multicultural broadcaster in strengthening the belonging experience at a community level.

Conducted in six languages—Arabic, Cantonese, English, Italian, Mandarin and Vietnamese—the research aims to spark discussion about what can be done to foster a greater sense of belonging among multilingual communities. It demonstrates ways to accelerate belonging for the newest migrants to Australia, helping to ensure that everyone benefits from greater social inclusion.

A recording that presents key highlights from the research, and answered questions about the research via a webinar is now available. SBS would like to thank guests who took part in the discussion. Some of the top questions from the audience Q&A session a presented below.

Sense of Belonging among Multilingual Audiences in Australia: Top Stakeholder Questions

Did the research explore the consequences of a sense of belonging? 

One of the links that the research explores is between belonging and social participation. Respondents who feel at home in Australia are more than twice as likely than those who don’t feel at home, to say they understand the important social and political issues facing Australia, and consider themselves informed to participate in discussions. 

What findings most surprised you in the research?

One of the core elements of the research was the link to belonging and representation, which was uncovered in the research. But what was most surprising was the time it takes to feel a sense of belonging. When we looked deeper into the data, we found a threshold of 10 years, indicating that developing a sense of belonging as part of the migration experience can be a long process. 

How does news representation of different migrant communities compare to the rest of the Australian population?

Whilst there may be existing research around news representation at a national level, in this research study we chose to focus on multilingual communities only, and therefore we do not compare it to the rest of the population. However, perception of representation in news among the audiences of the five language groups surveyed in this study reported lower results compared to the views reported for the Australian general population in the Digital News Report: Australia 2021. 52% of the Australian population in general felt they were fairly represented in the news (vs. 42% in this study) and 53% agreed on the adequacy of the amount of coverage (vs. 38% in this study). 

Did the research provide any insights around a preference for engaging with video content vs. online written content?

Media consumption behaviour was not in the scope of this research, but learnings on media consumption behaviour and platform preference among multilingual audiences in Australia have been collected through several studies within our research program over the years. One of the most common themes observed across various multilingual audiences suggest a preference for video content – through stronger engagement with TV and YouTube compared to websites. 

From the research, what advice would you give policy makers about how they can accelerate or drive a greater sense of belonging in the community?

Support from the media in the form of information accessible in language, localised relevant information, and a settlement information guide, can also be important ways to help positively influence individual pathways to belonging. Programs providing support and tools to help migrants improve their English skills is also an example of an important consideration for not only policy makers but also policy implementation agents.  

What plans do you have to share this research with other outlets, stakeholders and organisations?

Now that the research has been published, the next step is to start conversations with service providers and governments, helping them to use the research to make informed decisions to better serve those communities. We welcome anyone interested in these issues to get in touch if you would like to understand the research further or have a conversation.

Are there any future avenues for this research and, if so, what do they look like?

While the study uncovered the link between news representation, trust, belonging and participation, there is absolutely scope for further work. This could be deeper exploratory research, either through qualitative or quantitative methods, to understand the drivers amongst the language communities further.

For more information about this research, please contact Rebecca Griffiths, Audience Research Lead, at Rebecca.Griffiths@sbs.com.au.