the environment and ethnic communities in 2004 · ethnic communities in nsw. it also provides...
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004 A survey of the environmental
knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of eight ethnic communities in NSW
DEC SoCiAl RESEARCh SERiES
Project jointly funded by the Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW), the Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability, and the Sydney Catchment Authority.
The State of NSW and the Department of Environment and Conservation are pleased to allow this material to be reproduced in whole or in part, provided the meaning is unchanged and its source, publisher and authorship are acknowledged.
Front cover photographs: Woman with green waste bin – courtesy of Canterbury Council Tai chi in Parramatta Regional Park – Department of Environment and Conservation / J Winter
Department of Environment and Conservation 59-61 Goulburn Street, Sydney PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232 Phone: 131 555 (NSW only – publication and information requests) Phone: (02) 9995 5000 (switchboard) Fax: (02) 9995 5999 Email: [email protected] Website: www.environment.nsw.gov.au
DEC 2005/213
ISBN 1 74137 365 4
July 2005
Paper manufactured from sustainable sources
DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) I
Ourmulticulturalsocietyisacommunityofcommunities.
Wecomefromdifferentlinguistic,religious,culturalandethnicbackgrounds,butweshareacommonresponsibilityforprotectingtheNSWenvironment.
TheNSWGovernmentrecognisesthatwecanimprovethewayinwhichwecareforandprotectourenvironmentbybetterunderstandingourdiversity,andbuildingrelationshipswithinandamongourethniccommunities.
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004providesanoverviewoftheenvironmentalknowledge,attitudesandactionsofeightethniccommunitiesinNSW.Thisstudyfollowsonfromtheground-breakingresearchundertakenin1996ontherelationshipsbetweenethnicityandtheenvironmentforsixethniccommunities.KoreanandMacedonianspeakershavebeenaddedtotheArabic,Chinese,Greek,Italian,SpanishandVietnamesespeakersincludedinthe1996study.
Ofcourse,thisresearchshowsconsiderablediversityamongtheresponsesofthevariouscommunitiestotheenvironment.However,thisnewstudyshowsthatallofthemcareverymuchabouttheenvironment,withissuessuchaswaterconservationtakingaveryhighpriority.
Iurgeeveryoneworkinginandwithethniccommunitiestoconsiderthisresearch,anduseittohelpthesediversegroupsmaketheirowncontributionstoasustainablefutureinNSW.
Bob Debus
MinisterfortheEnvironment
Foreword
II DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
TableofContents
Foreword i
Executive Summary iV
1. introduction 1
2. Using this Research 5
3. Main Findings 7
3.1PrioritiesandValues 7
3.2KnowledgeofEnvironmentalIssues 29
3.3PersonalBehaviour 35
3.4InformationSources 50
3.5Media 60
4. Community profiles 66
Arabic 67
Chinese 71
Greek 75
Italian 79
Korean 83
Macedonian 87
Spanish 91
Vietnamese 95
Appendix A: Research Methods 99
Appendix B: Questionnaire 105
Appendix C: Qualitative Discussion guide 108
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) III
IndexofTablesandFigures
Table1: Reasonforenvironmentalconcern,bylanguage:NESB 2004 17Table2: Personalpriorities,bylanguage:NESB 2004 20Table3: Featuresofagoodplacetolive,bylanguage:NESB 2004 27Table4: Knowledgeofenvironmentalissues 29Table5: Reasonsforengaginginenvironmentallyfriendlypractices:NESB 2004 41Table6: Reasonsfornon-engagement:NESB 2004 43Table7: Environmentallydamagingbehaviour,bylanguage:NESB 2004 46Table8: Outdoorspacesaroundthehome,bylanguage:NESB 2004 48Table9: Mainsourcesofinformation,bylanguage:NESB 2004 52Table10: Reliabilityofenvironmentalinformationsources,bylanguage:NESB 2004 56Table11: Television,bylanguage:NESB 2004 61Table12: Radio,bylanguage:NESB 2004 63Table13: Newspapers,bylanguage:NESB 2004 65Table14: Demographicprofileofthesample 101Table15: Outdoorspacesaroundthehome:NESB 2004 102Table16: Comparison–languagegroupsamplesandNSWpopulation 104
Figure1: Twomostimportantissuesforstategovernmentattentionnow:NESB1996-2004 8Figure2: Thetwomostimportantissues:Who Cares?1997-2003 8Figure3: Twomostimportantissuesforstategovernmentattentionintenyears:NESB1996-2004 11Figure4: Thetwomostimportantissuesintenyears:Who Cares?1997-2003 11Figure5: Levelofconcernaboutenvironmentalproblems:NESB1996-2004 13Figure6: Levelofconcern:Who Cares?1997-2003 13Figure7: Concernaboutenvironmentalproblems,differencesbylanguage:NESB 2004 14Figure8: Majoraspectofconcernaboutenvironmentalproblems:NESB 2004 16Figure9: Majoraspectofconcernaboutenvironmentalproblems:Who Cares?2003 16Figure10: Personalpriorities:NESB 2004 19Figure11: Personalpriorities:Who Cares?2003 19Figure12: SingleandsecondmostimportantenvironmentalissuesinNSWtoday:NESB 2004 21Figure13: MostimportantenvironmentalissuesinNSWtoday:NESB1996-2004 22Figure14: MostimportantenvironmentalissuesinNSWtoday:Who Cares?1997-2003 22Figure15: Mostimportantlocalenvironmentalissues:NESB 2004 25Figure16: Featuresofagoodplacetolive:NESB 2004 26Figure17: Correctanswerstoknowledgequestions,bylanguage:NESB 2004 30Figure18: Environmentallyfriendlypracticesinthelasttwelvemonths:NESB 2004 36Figure19: Environmentallyfriendlypracticesinthelasttwelvemonths:Who Cares?2003 36Figure20: Frequencyofspecificenvironmentallyfriendlybehavioursinthelasttwelvemonths,bylanguage:NESB 2004 37Figure21: Environmentallydamagingbehaviour:NESB 2004 45Figure22: Environmentallydamagingbehaviour:Who Cares?2003 45Figure23: Useofoutdoorspacesaroundthehome:NESB 2004 47Figure24: Mainandpreferredsourcesofinformationabouttheenvironment:NESB 2004 51Figure25: Mainsourcesofinformationabouttheenvironment:NESB1996-2004 51Figure26: Languageofmainandpreferredenvironmentalinformationsources:NESB 2004 57Figure27: Reliabilityofenvironmentalinformationsources:NESB 2004 55Figure28: Reliabilityofenvironmentalinformationsources:Who Cares?2003 55Figure29: Television(EnglishandLOTE) 60Figure30: Radio(EnglishandLOTE) 62Figure31: Newspapers(EnglishandLOTE) 64
IV DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
The studyThisstudyinvestigatestheenvironmentalneedsofethniccommunitiesinNSW.Itprovidesinformationabout,andinsightsinto,thewaysknowledge,attitudesandbehavioursinrelationtotheenvironmentvaryamongeightdifferentethniccommunitiesinNSW.Italsoprovidesinformationonthemediapreferencesofthesecommunities.Theresultsofthisstudywillassistintheplanning,implementationandevaluationofenvironmentaleducationprogramsforthosecommunities.Changesandtrendsareidentifiedthroughcomparisontoaprevious1996studyoftheenvironmentandethniccommunitiesandtotheresultsfromabroadcommunitysurvey,Who Cares about the Environment?lastconductedin2003.
headlinesThereareseveralkeyfindingsfromthis2004study:
Peoplefromtheethniccommunitiessurveyedvaluetheenvironmentasanimportantpartoftheirlives.Onlyfamilywasratedasveryorratherimportantbymoreparticipants.SignificantlymorepeoplefromNon-Englishspeakingbackgrounds(NESB)ratedenvironmentasveryimportantthanintheDepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)’s2003community-widesurvey,Who Cares about the Environment?
Issuesrelatedtowatersupplyandconservationhaveincreasedinimportancesince1996asanenvironmentalissueofconcernforpeople,withthedroughtandwaterrestrictionslikelytobeakeyfactorinthisincrease.
Whencombinedwithissuesofwaterconservationandurbangrowth/populationissues,theenvironmentisseenasasignificantlymoreimportantissueinNSWtodaythanitwasin1996.
Onmanyquestionsthereissubstantialdiversitybetweencommunitiesintheirresponses.
Therearealsosubstantialvariationsforanygivencommunityonindicatorswithinagivenquestionarea,forexampleonknowledgequestionsandinadoptingspecificenvironmentallyfriendlybehaviours.
Peoplecandiscussenvironmentalissuesinmoredetailthanin1996.Thenumberofpeoplewhoareunsureordon’tknowaboutenvironmentalissueshasdecreasedmarkedly.
Keyfindingsfromeachareaofthereportaresummarisedbelow.
priorities and values: what do people of non-English speaking background think is important?HealthandeducationareconsideredthetwomostimportantissuesforStateGovernmentattentionnow,andhavegrowndramaticallyinimportancesince1996comparedtoanyotherissue.Theissuesofunemployment,crime,lawandviolenceandimmigrationhavedeclinedinimportancesince1996.ThesetrendsarealsoreflectedintheWho Cares about the Environment?researchseriesinthebroadercommunity.
AsinthewiderNSWpopulation,theenvironmentinageneralsenseisrankedsixthoverallasapriorityissueforStateGovernmentattentiontoday.However,thestrongemergenceofwaterconservationasthefourthrankedissueandenvironmentalconcernsthatmaybeassociatedwithotherissuessuchasroadsandtrafficorpublictransport,indicateagreaterpriorityforenvironmentalissues.Takentogether,waterconservationandenvironmentrankthirdafterhealthandeducation.
In2004peoplefromselectethniccommunitiesinNSWwerealsoabletoarticulatemoreissuesforStateGovernmentattentionthantheywerein1996,withasubstantialdeclineinthedon’tknowresponse,atrendthatwasalsoseenintheWho Cares about the Environment?series.Waterconservationranksthirdandenvironmentrankssixthasapriorityissueforgovernmentintenyearstime.Theseissuesarementionedmorefrequentlyasfutureprioritiesthanaspresentprioritiesandtogethertheyformthehighestfuturepriority.
Levelofconcernfortheenvironmenthasshiftedslightlysince1996,withfewerpeoplein2004expressinglittleornoconcernaboutenvironmentalproblems.Levelofconcernvariessubstantiallyamongstthecommunities:fromtwothirdsoftheSpanishgroupveryconcernedtoonefifthoftheVietnamesegroup.Respondentspredominantlynominateastheirreasonsforconcern,concernforfuturegenerations,qualityoflifeandthehealtheffectsofpollution,
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ExecutiveSummary
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) V
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
ratherthanmaintenanceofnatureandecosystems.Thuspersonalandimmediateissuesaregivenmoreimportancethanlongertermandenvironmentalsustainabilityissues.
NinetyfivepercentofpeoplefromtheselectedethniccommunitiesinNSWratedenvironmentasaratherorveryimportantintheirlives,thesecondhighestafterfamily.Morethansevenintenpeopleratedenvironmentasveryimportant,andalmostaquarterrateitasratherimportant.Environmentisplacedabovework,friendsandleisureasapriorityinpeople’slives.WhilefamilyastheissueofmostimportancetoethniccommunitiesisthesameasthebroadercommunityintheWho Cares about the Environment in 2003?survey,ethniccommunitiesplacedmorevalueonworkandservicetootherswherethebroadercommunityplacedgreatervalueonfriendsandleisuretime.
Waterandairissuescontinuetobetheethniccommunities’mainenvironmentalconcernforNSW,althoughwaterissuesarenowthedominantconcern,whereasairissuesweredominantin1996.Thisismostlikelytobeadirectresultofwaterrestrictionsandmediaattentiononissuesrelatedtothedroughtandwaterstoragelevels.Intheirlocalarea,however,morethanaquarterofparticipantscouldnotidentifyanyenvironmentalissues.
Knowledge Aseriesoftrue-falsequestionsonenvironmentalissues,includingthegreenhouseeffect,waterusage,recycledproducts,sourceofNSWelectricityandwildlifeincitiesandbackyards,revealedsignificantgapsinknowledgeacrossallquestions.Thehighestlevelsofknowledge(approximately60%correctanswers)relatedtowildlifeinbackyards.
Knowledgequestionswerenotaskedinthe1996ethniccommunitiessurveysothatthesequestionsestablishbaselineinformationforevaluatingprogramsintothefuture.Twoquestionsalsousedinthe2003Who Cares about the Environment?surveyshowedthatethniccommunitieshavelevelsofknowledgeaboutthegreenhouseeffectcomparabletothegeneralcommunityandtheyaremorelikelytounderstandtherelativeuseofwaterinNSWbyagriculturecomparedtootherusers.
Therearedifferencesacrossthevariouslanguagegroupsinrelationtoknowledgelevels,butnolanguagegroupstandsoutasmoreorlessinformedthananother.
personal behaviourRespondentsintheresearchweregenerallyabletomentionatleastafewthingstheydotohelpprotecttheenvironment.Thebehaviourscitedmostoftenwerereducingwaterconsumption,reducingenergyconsumptionandpreventingstormwaterpollution.Additionally,morethanhalfthepeoplefromtheselectedethniccommunitiesrecyclepaperorothermaterialsatworkorhavedecidedtoreusesomethinginsteadofthrowingitaway.Morethanfourintenhaveboughtenergyefficientappliancesorlightglobes,orotherproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironment.
Peopleinthissurveywerelesslikelytoparticipateinlocalenvironmentalissues,trytogetinformationabouttheenvironmentorcomposttheirkitchen/gardenwaste.
Theprimaryreasonspeoplegaveforadoptingbehaviourthatisperceivedasenvironmentallyfriendlyweretosavemoney,outofaconcernfortheenvironmentorasenseofcivicresponsibility,orasadirectresultofenvironmentalregulationsuchaswaterrestrictions.
Environmentallyfriendlybehaviourthatisperceivedastimeconsumingordifficultislesslikelytobeadopted,forexample,avoidingplasticbags,compostingoravoidingproductswithexcesspackaging.
Lackofknowledgeabouthowtoparticipateinenvironmentallyfriendlybehaviourorlackofawarenessoftheenvironmentalimpactsofagivenactivityisalsoasignificantbarriertobehaviouraluptake.Thisisparticularlyrelevantforcomposting,choosingproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironmentandavoidingproductswithexcesspackaging.
Participantsinthequalitativefocusgroupresearchalsosuggestedthatactivitiesseenascostlyorrequiringadditionalcapitaloutlay,forexamplepurchasingrenewableenergy,energyefficientappliancesandgreywatersystemswerelesslikelytobeadopted.
ExecutiveSummary
VI DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
information sourcesEthniccommunities’mainsourcesofenvironmentalinformationarenewspapersandtelevision.FourintenrespondentsaccessthisinformationeitherintheirownlanguageorinbothEnglishandtheirownlanguage.Forradiothisfigureisseveninten.Theextenttowhichradioornewspapersarepreferredmediabythevariouslanguagegroupsisprobablyrelatedtotheavailablemediasourcesforthevariouslanguagecommunities.
ThereisastrongpreferenceamongstNESBrespondentsforinformationtobeprovidedintheirownlanguage,apreferencethatisparticularlymarkedforradio.ForallinformationmediathereisastrongdesireforinformationtobeprovidedinbothEnglishandtheirownlanguage.
LackofEnglishlanguageisnotthesolereasonforpreferringlanguagesotherthanEnglish(LOTE)information.BilingualpeoplealsopreferLOTEinformationalongsideEnglishinformation.
Morethaneightintenrespondentsfromtheselectedethniccommunitiesrateenvironmentalgroups,scientistsortechnicalexperts,othermembersofthecommunityandschoolsasreliablesourcesofinformationaboutenvironmentalissues.Theseresponsessuggestthatbothinformalword-of-mouthsourcesandexpertisearevalued.
Businessandindustry,religiousleadersandmediapersonalitieswereconsideredtheleastreliableofallinformationsourcesbuttheywereconsideredreliablebyamuchgreaterproportionofpeoplefromtheseethniccommunitiesthanthoseinthe2003Who Cares about the Environment?survey.
ExecutiveSummary
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) �
Background to the researchThewholecommunityhasaninterestinprotectingtheenvironment.Howeversignificantgroupswithinthepopulation,becauseoflanguageandculturalbarriers,maynotbeexposedtomainstreamcommunicationsaboutenvironmentalissues.InNSW,oneinfiveresidents(1,196,204people)speakalanguageotherthanEnglishathome1.
OfthosespeakingalanguageotherthanEnglish,15%speaklittleornoEnglish.Thesefiguresindicatethereisconsiderableneedforenvironmentaleducationprogramsthatareculturallyandlinguisticallyappropriatetoengagethesecommunities.
ArangeofgovernmentagencieswithenvironmentalresponsibilitiesinNSWrequireappropriateandrelevantinformationabouttheviewsandunderstandingsofethniccommunitiesrelatingtotheenvironment.Thisinformationincludesthemotivationsandbarrierswhichinfluencethewaypeoplefromethniccommunitiesbehaveonenvironmentalissues,theiraccesstoreliableinformationabouttheenvironment,andhowthesevarywithculturaldifferences.
Inmid-2003fiveagencies,theEnvironmentProtectionAuthority(EPA),NationalParksandWildlifeService(NPWS),ResourceNSW,theSustainableEnergyDevelopmentAuthority(SEDA)andSydneyCatchmentAuthority(SCA)commencedjointlyfundedresearchtoinvestigatetheseissuesandbuildonprevioussocialresearchonethniccommunitiesandtheenvironment,completedin1996.InSeptember2003severaloftheseagencies(EPA,NPWSandResourceNSW)werebroughttogether,alongwiththeRoyalBotanicGardensandDomainTrust,toestablishtheDepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW).
CulturalandIndigenousResearchCentreAustraliawascommissionedtoconducttheresearchwitheightofthelargestnon-EnglishspeakingbackgroundcommunitiesinNSW.Thesecommunitieswere:
Arabic n Korean
Chinese(CantoneseandMandarin) n Macedonian
Greek n Spanish
Italian n Vietnamese
Thestudyprovidesasnapshotoftheenvironmentalconcernsin2004ofpeoplefromtheseeightethniccommunitiesinNSW.Itaimstobroadenanddeepenunderstandingoftherelationshipbetweenethnicityandenvironmentalknowledge,valuesandpracticesinspecificareas.
Importantly,italsoprovidescomparisonswithotherresearchinthisarea.Therearethreemainsetsofresearchdata(describedfurtherinthenextsection)thatareusedforcomparisonsthroughthisreport:
Similarresearchconductedwithethniccommunitiesin1996(referredtoasNESB 1996).
Broadercommunityviewsandresponses,asdemonstratedintheDepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)’ssocialresearchseries,Who Cares about the Environment? (referredtoasthe Who Cares? researchorWho Cares?2003).
ResponsesspecificallyfromNESBparticipantsinWho Cares about the Environment in 2003? Survey(referredtoasWho Cares?2003 NESB).
1.AustralianBureauofStatistics,2001Census.
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1.Introduction
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1.Introduction
About the studyTheobjectivesofthe2004studywereto:
provideinsightsintothewaysknowledge,attitudesandbehavioursinrelationtotheenvironmentdifferamongselectedethniccommunities;
provideinformationaboutthepreferredcommunicationschannelsofeachoftheethniccommunities;
provideanevidencebasisforplanning,implementationandevaluationofthepartneragencies’programs;
promotediscussionandwiderawarenessofthesocialdimensionsofenvironmentprotection.
Ninefocusgroups(oneineachlanguagegroup,withseparategroupsforCantoneseandMandarin)wereheldinDecember2003todiscussenvironmentalissuesandprovidein-depthqualitativeinformationtoinformthesurveydesign.Allfocusgroupswerefacilitatedbybilingualresearchersinthecommunitylanguageoftheparticipants.
Followingsurveydesignandtesting,805peopleweresurveyedinMay-June2004,withaminimumof100fromeachcommunity.Thisreportprovidestheresultsofthe2004surveybutincludesreferencetofocusgroupdiscussionswhererelevantandindividualstatementsfromfocusgroupparticipantswherethesehighlightspecificissues.
Thereportalsoprovidescomparisonstothreeothersetsofdataandresearch:
The Environment and NSW Ethnic Communities2 (EPA1996),commissionedbytheEPAandSydneyWaterin1996toinvestigatetheknowledge,attitudesandbehavioursinrelationtoenvironmentalissuesandwateruseofArabic,Chinese,Greek,Italian,SpanishandVietnamesespeakersinNSW.Manyquestionsfromthisstudywererepeatedinthecurrentstudyandwhereavailablecomparisonsaremadebetweenthe1996research(NESB 1996) andthecurrentresearch(NESB 2004)throughthisreport.
TheDepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)’ssocialresearchseries,Who Cares about the Environment? (Who Cares?research)includessurveysconductedin1994,1997,2000and2003.Thisseriesisalarge-scalecommunitystudyofNSWresidentsmeasuringchangesovertimeinpeople’sattitudes,knowledge,skillsandbehavioursinaseriesofcorequestions,whicharereplicatedacrossthesurveys.Whereappropriate,thechangesevidentintheWho Cares?researchfrom1997to2003areincludedtoprovideacomparisonoverasimilartimeperiodtothetrendsandchangesbetweenthetwoNESBsamples(1996and2004).
Who Cares about the Environment in 2003?3includedrespondentsfromnon-Englishspeakingbackgrounds(NESB)andtheseresponseswerecomparedwithpeoplefromEnglish-speakingbackgrounds.TheresultsfromtheWho Cares? NESBsamplein2003(Who Cares? 2003 NESB)arecomparedwiththeresponsesfromtheNESB 2004study.InconsideringthiscomparisonitshouldbenotedthatallNESBrespondentsfromtheWho Cares? 2003 samplespokeEnglishwellenoughtoanswerthesurveyinEnglishandrepresentedabroaderrangeoflanguagegroupsthantheeightgroupsincludedinthisNESB2004 research.
DifferencesinthesamplesforeachofthesestudiesarediscussedinAppendixA.
ResultsarereportedforthewholesamplewithcomparisonstotheNESB 1996survey,andtoWho Cares?resultswhererelevant.Statisticallysignificantdifferencesbasedondemographiccharacteristics:age,gender,educationlevel,lengthofresidenceinAustraliaandEnglishproficiency,andstatisticallysignificantdifferencesonthebasisoflanguage/ethniccommunityarefoundintheboxesfollowingthetotalsampleresults.Foradiscussiononthelevelsofstatisticallysignificantdifferenceinthisstudy,seeAppendixA.
2.NSWEnvironmentProtectionAuthority(1997).The Environment and NSW Ethnic Communities.EPA97/73.NSWEnvironmentProtectionAuthority,Chatswood.
3.DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)(2004).Who Cares about the Environment in 2003?DEC2004/10.DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW),Sydney.
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DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) �
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
1.Introduction
Question topicsThetopicscoveredinthequestionnairewere:
perceivedprioritiesfortheNSWGovernment,nowandinthefuture,
perceivedpriorityenvironmentalissues,
perceivedprioritylocalenvironmentalissues,
knowledgeofspecificenvironmentalissues,
levelofconcernfortheenvironmentandthemajorreasonforconcern,
corevaluesandperceivedimportanceofenvironmentasapersonalpriority,
reportedenvironmentallyfriendlybehaviours,
reasonsforengaginginenvironmentallyfriendlybehaviours,
reasonsfornotengaginginenvironmentallyfriendlybehaviours,
reportedenvironmentallydamagingbehaviours,
featuresofagoodplacetolive,
useofandaccesstooutdoorspacesaroundthehome,
environmentalinformationsourcesandreliabilityofenvironmentalinformation,
mediaconsumptionpatterns.
Research methods are detailed in Appendix A and the full questionnaire is included in Appendix B.
Background issuesResponsestothesurveys,particularlyintheareaofissuesforStateGovernmentattention,inpartreflectpeople’srecentexperienceandexposuretoissuesinthemedia.Thissummaryofbackgroundissueshasbeenincludedtoputthefindingsofthe2004surveyinthecontextoftheissuesmentionedbypeopleinthefocusgroupsandinmediareportingintheperiodleadinguptothesurvey.Italsoprovidesahistoricalcontextforthedataforfuturereference.
Health system and Medicare:TherewascontinuingdebateaboutthehealthsystemandpotentialCommonwealthGovernmentreformstoMedicare.Issuesincludeddeclineingeneralpractitionersacceptingbulkbilling,increasingcostsofprivatehealthinsuranceand,atthetimeofthisstudy,anumberofissuesinvolvingaccesstohospitalemergencywardsandpatientcareissuesinhospitalsinsouthwesternSydney.
Education: Equityoffundingandtheconsequentrelativestandardsoffacilitiesinprivateandpublicschoolswerecontinuingissues,alongwithaperceiveddriftofstudentsfrompublictoprivateschools.
Attertiaryleveltherewereconcernsaboutstudents’abilitytorepaylargeHECSdebts,thebalanceoflocalandoverseasstudentsinuniversitiesandpossibleincreasesinTAFEfees.
Crime, law and order and terrorism/security:ThereweresignificantterrorismandsecurityconcernsinthewakeofthedestructionoftheWorldTradeCentretowersinNewYorkon11September2001,theBaliBombingsin2002,theinvasionofIraqin2003andtheongoingwarthere,andthebombingoftheMadridundergroundinMarch2004.Policenumbersandpresenceonthestreet,aswellastheoperationofthejudicialsystemandsentencingforconvictedcriminals,werealsoissuespeopleconsideredimportant.
LawandorderissueswerehighlightedbyriotsbyAboriginalpeopleinRedfernearlyin2004followingthedeathofateenageboy.ParticularlypertinenttoNESBgroupswerearangeofhighprofilecrimesidentifiedwithinspecificcommunities.ThesereceivedsignificantattentioninboththeEnglishlanguageandnon-Englishmedia.
Public transport:Thegeneralqualityofrailandbusservices,andtheavailabilityofservicesduringpeakhoursandrailsafetywerecontinuingissues,particularlyforpublictransportusers.
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1.Introduction
Roads and transport: Congestionanddelaysinurbantrafficwerecontinuingissues.Peoplewerealsoconcernedaboutairpollutioninmotorwaytunnels.
The environment: Themajoremphasiswasondrought,watersupplies,waterconservationandrestrictionsandclimatechange,withdroughtconditionsinmostareasofNSWthrough2001-2004.MandatorywaterrestrictionswereintroducedinMetropolitanSydneyinOctober2003anddeclineinwatersuppliesanddamlevelswereconsistentlyreportedinthemedia.
Unemployment:Whileunemploymentdeclinedfromanationallevelofover10%intheearly1990sto5.2%inNSWinthelastquarterof20044,employmentandincomeremainedanimportantissuefornewermigrantsandthosewithlowEnglishskills.
Taxes, stamp duties and GST and housing prices:Anational10%GSTwasintroducedinJuly2000andcompliancewithreportingandpaymentofGSTforsmallbusinessposeddifficultiesformanywithlowEnglishskills.PropertyvaluesincreasedsignificantlyacrossmuchofNSWin2002-2003,particularlyinSydney(ABSHousePriceIndexforSydneyincreased21.2%June2002toJune2003),incurringhigherlandtaxes.Higherhousepricesalsoincurhigherlevelsofstampduty.Affordabilityofnewhomesandtheimpactofstampduty,particularlyforyoungfamilies,becameaconcern.
ImmigrationandFederalgovernmentpoliciestowardsillegalimmigrants,particularly‘boatpeople’,alongwithconditionsindetentioncentresandlengthoftimespentindetentioncentresbysomeillegalimmigrants,receivedconsiderablemediaattentionanddebate,highlightedbyanumberofhighprofilecases.
Population and urban development:TherewasanongoinghighlevelofpublicattentiontotheproblemsfacingSydneyasaresultofpopulationgrowthfuelledbytheattractivenessofSydneyfornewmigrants.Theconsequenturbanconsolidationpoliciespromotingmedium/highdensityredevelopmentinSydneyreceivedpublicity,asdidprovisionofinfrastructure(roads,publictransport,utilities)fornewhousingareas.
4.NSW Quarterly Labour Market Report, AustralianGovernmentDepartmentofEmploymentandWorkplaceRelations,December2004.
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) �
Who should know about this research?�
Thisresearchprovidesimportantinformationthatcanbeusedtoguidepolicyandprojectofficersinthedesignanddeliveryofstrategiesandprogramstoinvolveethniccommunitiesinenvironmentalinitiatives.
Usethisresearchifyouworkorareinvolvedin:
ethniccommunityorganisations,e.g.migrantresourcecentres,ethno-specificgroups,multiculturalassociations,
non-Englishcommunicationsandmedia,
governmentorganisationsworkingwiththecommunity,includingethniccommunities,tomanageandprotecttheenvironment,
localcouncils,
communityenvironmentalgroupswishingtoreachandinvolveethnicgroupsintheircommunities,
catchmentmanagementauthoritiesandcommittees,
educationalinstitutions,
industryareassuchasagriculture,manufacturingandhospitalitywhichinvolvelargenumbersofemployeesfromnon-Englishspeakingbackgrounds.
How could you use the information?Individualsandorganisationsareencouragedtousethisresearchto:
promoteimprovedenvironmentalawarenessandpracticesamongethniccommunitiesandthebroaderNSWcommunity,
stimulateparticipationbypeoplefromethniccommunitiesinenvironmentalprogramsbylinkingtheprogramsmorecloselytotheirinterestsandconcerns,
acknowledgeandbuildonthecurrentsupportforandconcernabouttheenvironmentwithinmanyethniccommunities,
designeducationalinitiativestoincreaseunderstandingofthespecificenvironmentalissuesidentifiedashavinglowerpriorityamongethniccommunities,e.g.landdegradation,protectionofflora&faunaandenvironmentalsustainability,
incorporateenvironmentaleducationforethniccommunitiesintoorganisationalplanningprocesses.
Implications for community education targeting people of non-English speaking background communitiesTheresearchprovidesusefulinformationtohelpdevelop,implementandevaluateethniccommunityeducationinrelationtoenvironmentalissues.Theresearchsuggeststhattherearemanyopportunitiestocapitaliseontheexistingbaseofenvironmentalconcernabout,andinterestin,specificissuesamongethniccommunitiesinthecontextoftheirwiderinterestsandconcerns.Thechallengeistodirecteducationalinitiativestobuildonthecurrentenvironmentalsupportandunderstanding,aswellasfillthegapsthatexistinenvironmentalknowledge.
5.MuchoftheinformationinthissectioncanalsobefoundinThe Environment and Ethnic Communities,EPASocialResearchSeries,EnvironmentProtectionAuthority,1997.
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2.UsingthisResearch
Theresearchpointstoaseriesofkeystrategiesimportanttocommunityeducation,communicationandmarketingforethniccommunities:
Recognise the differences among ethnic communitiesTherearemanydifferencesinknowledgeandunderstanding,beliefsandattitudes,andbehavioursamongethniccommunitygroupsinrelationtotheenvironment.Thesedifferentconcernsandviewsmustberecognisedandunderstood,andculturaldifferencesshouldberespectedinordertoenableeffectivedesignofethniccommunityeducationinitiatives.
Culturallyrelevantenvironmentalprogramsandresourcesneedtobedevelopedinpartnershipwithethniccommunitiesinresponsetothisrecognition.
Therearemanydifferentmediabeingaccessedbypeopleofnon-Englishspeakingbackgroundthatrequireconsiderationandappropriateuseinanycommunicationapproach.
Make links with ethnic groupsMakinglinkswithkeyethniccommunitynetworksandinvolvingethniccommunityrepresentativesinthedesign,implementationandevaluationofenvironmentaleducationstrategiesisessentialforeffectiveethniccommunityeducation.TheEthnic Communities Reference Book6identifiesethno-specificcommunitiesinNSW,ausefulstartingpointforinformationaboutethniccommunitiesinyourarea.
Develop practical, relevant programsForethniccommunities,educationalinitiativesinthehouseholdsectorshouldemphasisepersonalrelevanceandrecommendpractical,alternativeactions.
Educationalmaterialshouldalsoincludemessagesabouthowappropriatebehaviourcanbenefitpersonalandfamilyhealth,andleadtocostsavings.Cost-savingalternativesareparticularlyattractiveformanypeopleendeavouringtoestablishinanewcountry.
Checklistsandhelpfulhintscanbeaneffectivewaytoprovide‘whatyoucando’information.
Peoplefromethniccommunitiesoftenlackknowledgeoflawsandregulationsrelatingtotheiractivitiesandbothappreciateandactonthisinformation.Itisthusimportant,whencommunicatingenvironmentalissuesandenvironmentallyappropriateindividualandcorporateactions,tohighlightanyrelevantlawsandregulations.
Strategiesthatfocusonthecausesofenvironmentalproblemsandonindividualandcommunity-wideactionstoaddresstheseproblemsarealsouseful.
Educationalinitiativesshoulddirectpeopleinthesecommunitiestopeopleandplacesthatcanprovidemoredetailedinformationandassistance.Toaccompanythisreport,theDepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)ispublishingaguidetoworkingwithethniccommunities,Learning with Ethnic Communities: A Guide for Environmental Educators.
Use appropriate communications channelsThepreferredinformationsourcesofethniccommunitiesshouldbeconsideredwhendevelopingandimplementingbothmainstreamEnglishandethno-specificenvironmentcommunications.Theuseofnon-EnglishmediacanhelpincreasethereachandimpactofenvironmentalmessagesandthepreferredmediaforeachcommunityinthisstudyaredetailedintheCommunityProfiles.
6.PublishedbytheEthnicCommunitiesCouncilofNSW:neweditionisbeingpreparedfor2005.Seehttp://www.eccnsw.org.au.
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) �
3.1 PRIORITIES AND VALUES
Two most important issues for attention now
Question: What would you say are the two most important issues for attention by the NSW Government at present? (Unprompted)
Thehealthsystemandeducationwerethetwoissuesconsideredbypeopleofnon-EnglishspeakingbackgroundinthissampleasthemostimportantforattentionbytheStateGovernmentnow,withoveraquarter(27%)mentioningthehealthsystemorMedicarebulkbillingand25%mentioningeducation.Thiscomparesto8%foreachin1996,rankingfifthinpriority.Thepriorityoftheseissuesin2004morecloselyreflectsbroadercommunitypriorities(Who Cares?),wheretheywerethesecondandthirdissuesin1996andthetopissuesin2003,withhealthincreasinginimportancefrom24%in1997to49%in2003andeducationfrom20%to40%.
Environmentwasrankedeighthoverall,adeclinefromfourthrankingin1996.Environmentalconcernsthatmaybeassociatedwithotherissues,however,suchasroadsandtrafficorpublictransport,andthestrongemergenceofwaterconservationasthefourthrankedissue,indicateagreaterpriorityforenvironmentalissues.Takentogetherwaterconservationandenvironmentrankthirdafterhealthandeducation.
Theissueofwaterconservation(13%)hasemergedasapriorityforStateGovernmentforthefirsttime.AsimilartrendwasseenintheWho Cares?studywithwatersupply/conservationappearingforthefirsttimein2003(5%).TheNESBrespondentsintheWho Cares?studycitedwaterissuesataboutthesamelevelastheEnglish-speakingrespondentssothatthegreaterprevalenceofwaterissuesinthisstudyislikelytoberelatedtothepublicitysurroundingwaterrestrictionsbetweenthetwosurveysinmid-2003andmid-2004.
Agedcare/pensionsappearedforthefirsttime(8%),atahigherlevelthanintheWho Cares?sample(1%),adifferencewhichmayberelatedtothefactthattheageprofileofanumberofthelanguagegroupsincludedinthisstudyisskewedsignificantlytowardolderagecategories.Thisconcernreplacesamoregeneralconcernrecordedaswelfareissuesin1996.
Threeotherissueshaveemergedsince1996:
Taxation(6%)
Nationalsecurity(5%)
Costofhousing(4%).
Thesenewissuesofagedcare/pensions,taxationandcostofhousingtogetherplaceanemphasis(18%)onspecificexpenditure-relatedfinancialissues,whereasin1996,theemphasiswasonunemploymentandincome(22%).Unemploymentisstillaconcernbuthasdeclinedinpriorityasanissue,from22%in1996to10%in2004.AsimilardeclineinconcernaboutunemploymentwasseenintheWho Cares?results.
Immigrationandcrime-relatedissueshavealsodeclinedinpriorityfrom1996to2004,immigrationandracismfrom17%to8%andcrime/lawandorder/violenceissuesfrom22%to14%.
Thosewhocouldnotnominateanyissueshavedeclinedfrom33%in1996to11%,amuchgreaterdropthanfortheWho Cares?results.Bothstudiessuggestedthatpeoplearemoreknowledgeableaboutstateissuesthaninthemid-1990s.Thedon’tknowproportionintheethniccommunitiesisthusnowmorecloselyalignedtothatinthegeneralcommunity.
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3.MainFindings
� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.1PrioritiesandValues
FIGURE 1
Two most important issues for state government attention now: NESB 1996-2004
0 5 1510 20 25 35 4530 40 50
Don't know
Population issues
Alcohol and other drugs
Cost of housing
National security/war in Iraq
Economy/economic growth
Roads and traffic
Public transport
Taxation
Environment
Welfare
Aged care/pensions
Immigration/racism
Unemployment/income
Water supply/water conservation
Crime/law/violence
Education
Health/health system
Percentage of respondents
27
25
14
13
10
8
8
6
6
5
5
5
5
4
3
1
11
8
8
22
22
17
7
11
3
4
4
33
NESB 1996 n = 601
NESB 2004 n = 805
Note: The issues of immigration and racism were coded together in 1996. In 2004, they were recorded separately: of the total 8% immigration comprised 6% and racism 2% in 2004.
FIGURE 2
The two most important issues: Who Cares? 1997-2003
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Percentage of respondents
49
40
16
13
11
7
6
5
5
3
2
2
2
6
24
20
9
15
6
14
34
4
4
1
10
Who Cares? 1997 n = 1,129
Who Cares? 2003 n = 1,421
Don't know
Population issues
Cost of housing
Economy/economic growth
National security/defence
Taxation
Water supply/water conservation
Unemployment/income
Environment
Roads and traffic
Crime/law/violence
Public transport
Education
Health/health system
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.1PrioritiesandValues
Two most important issues for attention now
Language findings Twosignificantdifferencesbylanguagewerenotedinrespondents’ratingofenvironmentalissuesasapriorityforNSWGovernmentattention:
Vietnameserespondentsweremorelikelythanthetotalsampletoidentifyenvironment(17%,comparedto6%).
Spanishrespondentsweresignificantlymorelikelythanthetotalsampletoidentifywaterconservation/supply(36%,comparedto13%).
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3.1PrioritiesandValues
Two most important issues in ten years time
Question: What do you think will be the two most important issues for attention by the State Government in ten years time?
Withsomevariationinpositioning,theissuesidentifiedasmostimportantintenyears’time(Figure3)largelymirrorthoseseenasmostimportantnow(Figure1).Thehealthsystemandeducationarethemostfrequentlymentionedissuesandhaveincreasedinimportancesince1996:
Healthsystem 18%,upfrom5%in1996
Education 16%,upfrom5%in1996
ThisshiftisconsistentwiththetrendsseenintheWho Cares?series(Figure4),wherehealthandeducationincreasedinimportanceasafutureissuefrom1997to2003.
WatersupplyandwaterconservationrankasthethirdpriorityissueforStateGovernmentattentionintenyears’time.ThisissuewasnotmentionedatallintheNESB 1996research.Again,theincreaseinpriorityofthisissueisconsistentwiththetrendintheWho Cares?seriesresultsbetween1997and2003.
TheenvironmentranksassixthinpriorityforStateGovernmentinthefuture.Whencombinedwithwatersupplyandconservation,however,itisthetoprankingissueoverall(26%).Somerespondentsmayhavehadinmindtheenvironmentalimplicationsoftwootherissues,roadsandtraffic(4%)andpopulation(4%),possiblymakingenvironmentalconcernsevenmoreimportant.
Issuesmentionedforthefirsttimein2004are:
Agedcare/pensions 8%
Nationalsecurity/defence 5%
Roadsandtraffic 4%
Populationissues 4%
Taxation 3%
Farmingandagriculture 1%
Thefallinthosewhocouldnotnominateanyissueisagaindramatic–from51%in1996to16%in2004.ThisdownwardtrendisalsoseenintheWho Cares?seriesresults,from15%in1997to7%in2003.
AllotherdifferencesbetweentheNESB 1996andNESB 2004resultsarenotstatisticallysignificant.
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3.1PrioritiesandValues
FIGURE 3
Two most important issues for state government attention in ten years: NESB 1996-2004
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Don't know
Farming and agriculture
Racism
Public transport
Taxation
Alcohol and other drugs
Population issues
Roads and traffic
National security/defence/war in Iraq
Immigration
Cost of housing
Economy/economic growth
Aged care/pensions
Environment
Unemployment/income
Crime/law/violence
Water supply/water conservation
Education
Health/health system
Percentage of respondents
18
16
15
12
12
11
8
7
6
6
5
4
4
4
3
3
2
1
16
5
5
0
15
14
13
0
6
0
7
0
0
0
3
0
2
0
0
51
NESB 1996 n = 601
NESB 2004 n = 805
FIGURE 4
The two most important issues in ten years: Who Cares? 1997-2003
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Percentage of respondents
42
33
13
11
11
9
8
7
6
5
3
3
3
2
2
2
7
20
18
11
22
8
33
3
2
0
3
3
1
0
0
6
1
15
Who Cares? 1997 n = 1,129
Who Cares? 2003 n = 1,421
Don't know
Alcohol and drugs
Promoting economic growth
Energy supply/electricity
Terrorism/security
Taxation/stamp duty/GST
Housing/house prices
Care for aged
Water supply/water conservation
Roads and traffic
Population increase/urban development
Unemployment
Public transport/railways
The environment
Crime/law and order
Education
Health
�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.1PrioritiesandValues
Two most important issues in ten years time
Language findingsAnumberofsignificantdifferencesbylanguagewerenotedinratingofpriorityissuesforStateGovernmentattention.Incomparisontothetotalsample:
% of Language Total Group Sample %
Macedonianrespondentsweremorelikelytonominateunemployment 30 11
Greekrespondentsweremorelikelytonominateeconomy/economicgrowth 25 7
Spanishrespondentsweremorelikelytonominatewatersupply/conservation 43 15
Italianrespondentsweremorelikelytonominatehealth/healthsystem 33 18
Koreanrespondentswerelesslikelytonominatehealth/healthsystem 2 18
Chineserespondentsweremorelikelynottobeabletonominateanyissues 55 16
Spanishrespondentswerelesslikelynottobeabletonominateanyissues 2 16
Demographic findings
Length of residence
RespondentswhowerebornoverseaswerelesslikelytonominatehealthorthehealthsystemthanthoseborninAustralia(16%,comparedto38%).
English language proficiency
RespondentswithsomedifficultyinEnglishwerelesslikelytonominatehealthorthehealthsystemthanthosewhowerefluentinEnglish(12%,comparedto25%).
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.1PrioritiesandValues
Level of concern about environmental problems
Question: In general, how concerned are you about environmental problems?
Concernaboutenvironmentalproblemsamongstethniccommunitiesappearstobestrongerin2004thanin1996.The2004surveyshowsthatmorethaneightoutoftenrespondents(82%)areconcernedaboutenvironmentalproblems(up5%from1996),eithervery(42%)orfairly(40%)concerned.
Morethanoneintenrespondents(12%)claimthattheyarenotveryconcerned,andtheremaining5%arenotconcernedatallaboutenvironmentalproblems.Since1996thosewhoarenotveryornotatallconcernedhasdecreased(from23%to17%),withincreasesinthosefairlyandveryconcerned.
Bycontrast,inthebroadercommunity(Who Cares?series),althoughoverallconcernhasremainedrelativelysteadythelevelofconcernhaschanged,withadeclineof6%(from38%to31%)inthoseveryconcerned.
FIGURE 5
Level of concern about environmental problems: NESB 1996-2004
Percentage of respondents
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Not very/not at all concerned
Fairly concerned
Very concerned
NESB 1996 n = 601
NESB 2004 n = 805 42
41
40
36
17
23
Note: In 1996 the categories read out were: concerned a great deal; a fair amount; not very much and not at all. For more consistent translation, in 2004 these categories were: very concerned; fairly concerned; not very concerned and not concerned at all.
FIGURE 6
Level of concern: Who Cares? 1997-2003
Percentage of respondents
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Not very/not at all concerned
Fairly concerned
Very concerned
Who Cares? 1997 n = 1,129
Who Cares? 2003 n = 1,421 31
38
56
50
13
11
Note: Totals in both graphs may not equal 100% due to rounding.
�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.1PrioritiesandValues
Level of concern about environmental problems
Language findingsDifferencesbylanguagegroupcomparedtothetotalsample:
Thelanguagegroupsleastlikelytobeveryconcernedaboutenvironmentalproblemswere:
Vietnamese 21%,comparedto42%
Italian 28%,comparedto42%
Thelanguagegroupsmostlikelytobeveryconcernedaboutenvironmentalproblemswere:
Spanish 66%,comparedto42%
Arabic 58%,comparedto42%
Spanishrespondentswerealsosignificantlylesslikelytoshowlittleornoconcernaboutenvironmentalproblems(1%,comparedto17%).
Vietnameserespondentsweresignificantlymorelikelytoshowlittleornoconcernaboutenvironmentalproblems(31%,comparedto17%).
FIGURE 7
Concern about environmental problems, differences by language: NESB 2004
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Don't know
Not at all concerned
Not very concerned
Fairly concerned
Very concerned
Vietnamese
Italian
Korean
Chinese
Greek
Macedonian
Arabic
Spanish
TOTAL SAMPLE
Percentage of respondents
42
66
58
47
46
37
31
28
21
5
4
7
1
5
8
10
2
5
1
4
4
40
33
36
37
34
52
40
41
45
12
1
6
12
8
9
24
19
21
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Demographic findings
Age and gender
Therewassomevariationbyageinthosewhowereveryconcernedaboutenvironmentalproblems:
18-34 30%
35-54 45%
55+ 46%
Therewasnosignificantdifferencebyageorgenderinthosenotveryornotatallconcerned.
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.1PrioritiesandValues
Major aspect of concern about environmental problems
People who were concerned about environmental problems were asked:
Question: Which of the following best describes why you are concerned?
People were given five issues to choose from (Figure 8). The order in which issues were presented changed for each respondent to eliminate order bias.
Concernforfuturegenerationswasthemostcommonreasonforconcernaboutenvironmentalproblems(Figure8),chosenbymorethanthreeinten(31%)peoplein2004.Almostaquarterofrespondentsmentionedqualityoflife(23%)orthehealtheffectsofpollution(22%).ThisquestionwasnotaskedintheNESB 1996study.
ComparedtotheWho Cares?2003sample,respondentsintheNESB2004 studyweremoreconcernedabout:
NESB 2004 Who Cares? 2003
Qualityoflife 23% 16%
Healtheffectsofpollution 22% 12%
WhencomparedtotheWho Cares?2003sample,respondentsintheNESB2004 samplewerelessconcernedabout:
NESB 2004 Who Cares? 2003
Futuregenerations 31% 42%
Maintainingeco-systems,nature 8% 17%
Long-termeconomicsustainability 5% 12%
TheseresultssuggestthatfortherespondentsintheNESB2004study,concernsaboutenvironmentalproblemsrelatemoretopersonalandimmediateissuesandlesstolonger-termandenvironmentalsustainabilityissuesthanforthebroaderpopulationsurveyedintheWho Cares?2003 research.
Peopleinthefocusgroupswerealsoconcernedforfuturegenerations,oftencommentingtheywantedtheirchildrenandgrandchildrentoexperienceaqualityoflifethatincludedahealthyenvironment.Theylinkedconcernforfuturegenerationstootherareasofconcernincludingmental/physicalhealthandtheeconomy.
[Car fumes] affect people’s respiratory systems and people are psychologically affected. [Korean]
Some people think they are great environmentalists simply because they recycle, but I think it is more about a fundamental change of lifestyle. [Spanish]
I do what I can for the environment like using less chemicals and driving less, because I want a future for our children that is clean and safe. [Greek]
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3.1PrioritiesandValues
FIGURE 8
Major aspect of concern about environmental problems: NESB 2004
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Other
Don't know
All of the above
Long-term economic sustainability
Maintaining eco-systems, nature
Health effects of pollution
Quality of life
Concern for future generations
Percentage of respondents
31
23
22
8
5
10
2
1
NESB 2004 n = 755
Note: Only people who said they were concerned about the environment answered this question, i.e. 755 people.
FIGURE 9
Major aspect of concern about environmental problems: Who Cares? 2003
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
All of the above
Other
Long-term economic sustainability
Health effects of pollution
Quality of life
Maintaining eco-systems, nature
Concern for future generations
Percentage of respondents
42
17
16
12
12
1
0
Who Cares? 2003 n = 1,405
Note: Only people who said they were concerned about the environment answered this question, i.e. 1,405 people.
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.1PrioritiesandValues
Reason for concern
Language findingsTherangeofresponsestothisquestionvariedsignificantlyacrosslanguagegroupsandresponsesbylanguagegroupareshowninTable1,wheresignificantdifferencesarehighlighted.Someoftheseare:
Spanish-speakersweremorelikelytonominatehealtheffectsofpollutionasareasonforconcernthanItalian-speakers.
ChineseandSpanish-speakersweremorelikelythanGreek-speakerstonominatequalityoflifeasareasonfortheirconcernfortheenvironment.
ItalianandVietnamese-speakersweremorelikelythanChinese,KoreanandSpanish-speakerstonominatealloftheabove.
ConcernforfuturegenerationswasamorecommonreasonforKoreanandMacedonian-speakers,thanforChinese-speakers.
TABLE 1
Reason for environmental concern, by language: NESB 2004
Ara
bic
Chi
nese
Gre
ek
Ital
ian
Ko
rean
Mac
edo
nian
Sp
anis
h
Vie
tnam
ese
Tota
l
Percent (%)
Concernforfuturegenerations 36 �� 27 36 �� �� 21 22 31
Qualityoflife 19 �� � 21 25 12 �0 17 23
Healtheffectsofpollution 22 22 26 �� 13 26 �� 19 22
Maintainingeco-systems–nature,plants,animals 5 12 14 5 12 6 6 5 8
Long-termeconomicsustainability 2 5 8 3 8 4 1 6 5
Somethingelse 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 1
Alloftheabove 14 � 17 �� � 5 0 �� 10
Don’tknow 2 4 1 2 1 1 0 6 2
Key: Language group highlighted with is significantly more likely to nominate item as a reason for environmental
concern than language group highlighted with .
Note: Any difference of more than 20 percentage points between two languages is significant.
Demographic findings
Education
Respondentswhodidnotcompletehighschoolwerelesslikelytobeconcernedaboutqualityoflife:
Didnotcompletehighschool 12%
Completedhighschool 27%
Tertiaryeducated 26%
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3.1PrioritiesandValues
Personal priorities
Question: For each of the following, please tell me how important it is in your life by using the scale, where 1 means very important, 2 rather important, 3 not very and 4 not at all important.
Respondents were given a list of personal priorities and asked to rate the importance of each to their lives (Figure 10). This question was not asked in the NESB 1996 study, and was asked for the first time in the Who Cares? 2003 study.
Allrespondentsratedfamilyasimportant,with97%ratingthisfactorasveryimportant.Environmentwasratedasveryimportantbymorethansevenintenrespondents,andisthethirdmost(very)importantpriorityinpeople’slivesbehindwork(73%)andfamily(97%).
Environmentwasratedimportant(veryorrather)by95%,secondonlytofamily.Aroundnineintenrespondentsalsoratedservicetoothers(93%),friends(92%),work(90%)andleisuretime(89%)asveryorratherimportant.Howeverthedegreeofimportancedifferedsignificantlybetweenthecategories,withworkandenvironmentratedveryimportantbymorethan70%comparedtofriends(57%)andleisuretime(54%).
AllofthepersonalprioritiesweremorelikelytobenominatedintheNESB2004studyasveryimportantthanintheWho Cares? 2003study,withtheexceptionoffriendswhere57%intheNESB2004sampleratedfriendsasveryimportant,comparedto70%intheWho Cares? 2003sample.
ThereweretwosignificantdifferencesbetweentheNESB2004studyandWho Cares? 2003intermsofprioritiesconsideredeitherveryorratherimportant:
Work 90%,comparedto81%inWho Cares? 2003
Religion 73%,comparedto44%inWho Cares? 2003
Politicswasthepriorityleastmentionedasimportantinbothsurveys.
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3.1PrioritiesandValues
FIGURE 10
Personal priorities: NESB 2004
Percentage of respondents
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Not at all important
Not very important
Rather importantVery important
Politics
Religion
Leisure time
Friends
Service to others
Environment
Work
Family
NESB 2004 n = 805
97
73
71
63
57
54
50
22
2
17
24
30
35
35
23
28
7
4
6
8
9
17
31
3
2
2
2
10
19
FIGURE 11
Personal priorities: Who Cares? 2003
Percentage of respondents
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Not at all important
Not very important
Rather important
Very important
Politics
Religion
Work
Service to others
Leisure time
Environment
Friends
Family
Who Cares? 2003 n = 1,421
93
70
54
51
43
43
23
14
5
26
38
39
46
38
21
31
2
3
8
8
10
11
28
37
1
1
2
1
7
28
18
Note: Totals in both graphs may not equal 100% due to rounding.
�0 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.1PrioritiesandValues
Personal priorities
Language findingsTherangeofresponsestothisquestionvariedsignificantlyacrosslanguagegroups.SignificantdifferencesarehighlightedinTable2below,whichshows:
Korean-speakersweresignificantlymorelikelytoconsiderleisuretimeimportantthanItalian-speakers.
GreekandKorean-speakersweresignificantlymorelikelythanChineseandItalian-speakerstoconsiderpoliticstobeimportantintheirlife.
Spanish-speakersweresignificantlymorelikelytoconsiderenvironmentimportantthanItalian-speakers.
Chinese-speakersweresignificantlylesslikelythanallothergroupstoconsiderreligiontobeimportant.
TABLE 2
Personal priorities, by language: NESB 2004
Ara
bic
Chi
nese
Gre
ek
Ital
ian
Ko
rean
Mac
edo
nian
Sp
anis
h
Vie
tnam
ese
Tota
l
Percentage for important and very important combined (%)
Family 100 98 100 97 100 100 100 100 99
Environment 94 97 96 �� 98 95 �� 95 94
Servicetoothers 95 88 98 80 94 94 98 91 92
Friends 91 96 95 88 97 91 94 83 92
Work 91 80 94 79 96 85 97 95 90
Leisuretime 79 85 90 �� �� 95 95 88 88
Religion 83 �� 83 80 88 76 76 62 73
Politics 53 �� �� �� �� 42 44 51 50
Key: Language group highlighted with is significantly more likely to nominate core value as important than language group highlighted with .
Note: Any difference of more than 20 percentage points between two languages is significant.
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Demographic findings
Education
Importanceofworkincreasedaseducationincreased:
Didnotcompletehighschool 81%
Completedhighschool 93%
Tertiaryeducated 93%
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.1PrioritiesandValues
Most important environmental issues in NSW today
Question a: What do you think is the single most important environmental issue facing NSW today?
Question b: What do you think is the second most important environmental issue?
These questions were asked as unprompted, open-ended questions. Responses are grouped into the categories shown in Figure 12. The combined percentages for most important and second most important categories are shown in Figures 13 and 14, as the segmented data is not available for the NESB1996 study.
Asin1996,respondentsconsiderwaterandairtobethemostimportantenvironmentalissuesbuttheirrelativeprioritieshavechanged.In2004,64%ofrespondentsconsideredwaterissuestobethemostimportant(upsignificantlyfrom40%in1996)and32%believedairissuesarethemostimportant(downfrom56%).Thisreversalisastrongindicationoftheextenttowhichthedroughtandwaterconservationissueshavegainedattention.ThistrenddiffersalsosomewhatfromthetrendsseenintheWho Cares?series,wherewaterissueshaveconsistentlybeenthemostmentionedissuesandmentionsofairissueshaveremainedrelativelystableovertime.
Pollution(general)wasmentionedby23%butdidnotappearasaresponsetothisquestionin1996.IntheWho Cares?series,pollutionwasanissuein1997(14%),butwasonlymentionedby2%in2003;respondentsinsteadnominatedmorespecificenvironmentalissues,includingspecifictypesofpollution.
IntheNESB 2004surveytherewasamarkeddeclineinthenumberofrespondentswhocouldnotnominateanyenvironmentalissue,from26%in1996to13%(afurther11%couldnominateoneissuebutnotasecondissue).Togetherwiththeincreaseinmentionsforpollution,thismayindicateasignificantshifttowardsgreaterknowledgeofbroadenvironmentalissues.IntheWho Cares?series,therewasalsoadeclineindon’tknowinthisquestion,althoughsmaller,from20%to16%.
Asinthebroadercommunity, urbanmanagementismoreimportanttorespondentsin2004thanin1996.Chemicals/pesticidesissuesarelessimportantthaninthe NESB1996studybutarenotmentionedasanissueintheWho Cares?series.Flora,fauna/wildlifeandlanddegradationissuesarealsomentionedbutatconsiderablylowerlevelsthaninWho Cares? 2003.
FIGURE 12
Single and second most important environmental issues in NSW today: NESB 2004
Percentage of respondents
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Not sure
Other
Energy conservation
Land degradation/salinity
Noise
Chemicals and pesticides
Urban management
Flora and fauna protection
Waste
Pollution (general)
Air
Water 42
14
14
5
3
2
2
1
1
3
13
20
16
10
9
5
5
2
3
1
1
4
11
NESB 2004: 2nd response
NESB 2004: 1st response
�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.1PrioritiesandValues
FIGURE 13
Most important environmental issues in NSW today: NESB 1996-2004
Percentage of respondents
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Not sure
Other
Energy conservation
Land degradation/salinity
Noise
Chemicals and pesticides
Urban management
Flora and fauna protection
Waste
Pollution (general)
Air
Water 62
30
23
14
8
7
4
3
2
1
7
13
40
56
0
15
6
1
9
5
1
0
0
26
NESB 1996 n = 601
NESB 2004 n = 805
Note: The figures displayed for not sure in Figures 12 and 13 represent the combination of responses in the don’t know and there are no issues categories. While Figure 13 generally shows totals for first and second mentioned issues, the figure for not sure shows only those who could not mention any issue at all (i.e. does not include the 11% who mentioned one issue but not a second issue).
FIGURE 14
Most important environmental issues in NSW today: Who Cares? 1997-2003
Percentage of respondents
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Not sure
Noise
Pollution (general)
Logging/chipping
Land degradation
Urban management
Waste
Flora and fauna protection
Air
Water 57
37
21
19
12
10
4
2
1
16
55
40
15
23
6
4
3
14
7
20
Who Cares? 1997 n = 1,129
Who Cares? 2003 n = 1,421
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3.1PrioritiesandValues
Issuesmentionedaseithermostimportantorsecondmostimportantunderthegeneralcategoriesare:
First response Second response TOTAL
Water �� �0 ��
Waterconservationormanagement 35 11 47
Pollutionofcreeksandrivers 1 1 2
Pollutionofbeachesandtheocean 1 2 3
Generalwaterpollutionorquality 6 5 11
Pollution (general) �� �0 ��
Air �� �� �0
Motorvehiclesandemissions 5 4 10
Generalairpollutionorquality 5 8 13
Smoking/smokers 0.1 0.2 0.3
Greenhouseeffect,globalwarmingorclimatechange 2 1 3
Industrialemissionsorwaste 2 2 4
OzonelayerorUVradiation 0 0 1
Waste � � ��
Litteranddumpingofrubbish 5 7 12
Recyclinghouseholdrubbishorgarbage 0 1 1
Wastefulpackagingonproducts 0.1 0 0.1
Sewagetreatmentorproblems 0 1 1
Flora and fauna protection issues � � �
Protectionoforlossofbushland,treesorforest 1 2 3
Bushfires 1 4 5
Urban management � � �
Trafficcongestion 1 4 5
Urbandevelopmentorlossofnaturalenvironment 0 1 1
Urbansprawlorinadequateurbanplanning 1 1 1
Land degradation, soil erosion and salinity � � �
Energy conservation 0 � �
Chemicals and pesticides � � �
Householdandgardenpesticides 0.1 0.2 0.4
Agriculturalpesticidesandfertilisers 0 1 1
Transportandstorageofdangerouschemicals 1 1 3
Noise � � �
Other � � �
Don’t know/there are no issues (first response) �� ��
Don’t know/there are no issues (second response) �� ��
Note: Only values less than 0.5 have been shown with one decimal place. Other values have been rounded and totals may not equal the sum of their components due to rounding.
�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.1PrioritiesandValues
Most important environmental issues in NSW today
Language findingsSignificantdifferencesbylanguageinnominatingwaterconservation,comparedtothetotalsample:
Spanishrespondentsweremorelikelythanthetotalsampletonominatewaterconservation(64%,comparedto48%).
Koreanrespondentswerelesslikelytonominatewaterconservation(15%,comparedto48%).
Arabic-speakingrespondentsweresignificantlymorelikelytonominatewaterpollutionthantheotherlanguagegroups(24%,comparedto6%).
Therewasalargevariationinresponsesacrosslanguagegroupsrelatingtotheratingofpollution(general,unspecified)asthefirstorsecondmostimportantenvironmentalissueinNSWtoday:
Arabic(42%),Greek(44%)andMacedonian-speakers(34%)werethemostlikelytonominatepollution.
Chinese(11%),Korean(11%),Spanish(11%)andVietnamese-speakers(12%)weretheleastlikelytonominatepollution.
TheresponsesforItalian-speakerslayinthemiddle(23%).
Demographic findings
English language proficiency
RespondentswithEnglishlanguagedifficultieswerelesslikelytonominatewaterconservationasthesinglemostimportantenvironmentalissuefacingNSWtoday(29%,comparedto40%).
Length of residence
ResidentswhowereborninAustralia(50%)weremorelikelytoidentifywaterconservationasthemostimportantenvironmentalissuefacingNSWtodaythanthosebornoverseas(32%).
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3.1PrioritiesandValues
Most important local environmental issues
Question a: What are the environmental issues that affect your local area?
Question b: Of the issues that you just mentioned, what is the most important to you?
For the first time in 2004, respondents were asked to nominate the local issues that affect their local area, in an unprompted, open-ended question. Respondents were prompted once with anything else? Those who nominated issues were then asked to nominate which was the single most important issue. The majority of respondents only nominated one environmental issue, so that the results for both questions were almost identical.
AswiththemostimportantenvironmentalissuesinNSW,theimportantissuesidentifiedbyrespondentsasaffectingthelocalareawereissuesrelatingtowater(20%)andair(13%).Inrelationtowater,waterconservationwasidentifiedthemostfrequently(14%),withafurther3%identifyingwaterpollution,2%pollutionofcreeksandrivers,and1%pollutionofoceansorbeaches(Figure15).
Significantly,almostoneinthreerespondents(28%)believedtherewerenoenvironmentalissuesaffectingtheirlocalarea,andanadditionaloneinten(12%)didnotknow.Theorderofissuesinrelationtothesinglemostimportantlocalenvironmentalissuewasthesameasforthetotalissuesmentioned.
FIGURE 15
Most important local environmental issues: NESB 2004
Percentage of respondents
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
There are no issues
Don't know
Other
Pollution of oceans and beaches
Pollution of creeks and rivers
Water pollution
High density and urban sprawl
Industry emissions
Noise
Litter and dumping rubbish
Traffic congestion
Air pollution
Water conservation 14
13
8
7
7
4
3
3
2
1
13
12
28
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Most important local environmental issues
Language findingsTheSpanish-speakersweresignificantlymorelikelythanthetotalsampletocitewaterconservationasanimportantlocalissue(54%,comparedto13%).
TheVietnamese-speakersweresignificantlylesslikelytobeabletocitelocalenvironmentalissues,with66%unabletociteanyissues,comparedto39%forthetotalsample.
Spanish-speakingrespondentswerethemostlikelytonominatelocalenvironmentalissues,withonlyoneinten(10%)unabletociteanyissues,comparedto39%forthetotalsample.
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3.1PrioritiesandValues
Features of a good place to live
Question: What are the two most important characteristics that make an area a nice place to live?
Respondentswereaskedanunprompted,open-endedquestionaboutthefeaturesoftheirlocalareathatmadeitagoodplacetolive.Safetyandsecuritywasthemostfrequentlymentionedsinglecharacteristic(33%)butenvironmentalcharacteristics(cleanair,greenstreets,nearbybushlandorparks,beachesortheocean)werementionedbyalmosthalftherespondents(44%).Aboutonethirdmentionedsocialfeatures(friendlypeople,senseofcommunity)(34%)andconvenientfacilities(shops,schoolsandpublictransport)(35%).
FIGURE 16
Features of a good place to live: NESB 2004
Percentage of respondents
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Not too close to busy streets
Quiet
Lots of natural bushland close by
Parks for kids to play
Close to beach or ocean
Leafy, geen, tree-lined streets
Sense of community
Clean air
Close to transport
Close to shops and schools
Friendly people
Secure/low crime/safety 33
24
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Features of a good place to live
Language findingsTherangeofresponsestothisquestionvariedsignificantlyacrosslanguagegroups.SignificantdifferencesarehighlightedinTable3.Thisshows:
Korean-speakingparticipantsaresignificantlymorelikelythanallothergroupstoconsiderquietnessanimportantfeatureofagoodplacetolive.
Spanish-speakingparticipantsaresignificantlymorelikelythanmostothergroupstovalueparksforchildrentoplayin,asanimportantcharacteristicofagoodplacetolive.
Leafy,greenortree-linedstreetswerenominatedsignificantlymoreoftenbyMacedonian-speakersthanItalian,SpanishorVietnamese-speakers.
Korean-speakersweresignificantlymorelikelytomentioncleanairthanSpanishorVietnamese-speakers.
FriendlypeoplewasnominatedsignificantlymoreoftenbyArabicandGreekthanKorean,Chinese,SpanishandVietnamese-speakers.
ChineseandVietnamese-speakersweresignificantlymorelikelythanallothergroupstoconsidersecurity,safetyorlowcrime,asapositivecharacteristicoftheirlocalarea.
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3.1PrioritiesandValues
TABLE 3
Features of a good place to live, by language: NESB 2004
Ara
bic
Chi
nese
Gre
ek
Ital
ian
Ko
rean
Mac
edo
nian
Sp
anis
h
Vie
tnam
ese
Tota
l
Percent (%)
Secure/lowcrime/safety �� 69 �� �� �� �� �� 57 ��
Friendlypeople 40 �� 39 30 �0 23 �� �� 23
Closetoshopsandschools 15 13 18 10 12 36 34 23 20
Closetotransport 8 21 7 8 18 17 18 15 14
Cleanair 12 17 11 12 25 21 � � 13
Senseofcommunity 16 3 15 12 6 14 9 7 10
Leafy,green,tree-linedstreets 6 10 16 � 10 25 � � 9
Closetobeachorocean 5 0 12 10 14 5 8 8 8
Parksforkidstoplay � 0 0 10 0 12 26 0 �
Lotsofnaturalbushlandcloseby 5 2 11 5 8 3 2 9 6
Quiet � � � � 20 0 � � �
Nottooclosetobusystreets 3 4 3 4 5 10 10 2 5
Key: Language group highlighted with is significantly more likely to nominate characteristic than language group highlighted with .
Demographic findingsAge and gender
Thoseolder(55+)andyounger(18-34)weremorelikelytobelievefriendlypeoplemakeanareaaniceplacetolivethanthose35-54years:
18-34 28%
35-54 15%
55+ 29%
Youngerrespondentsweremorelikelytobelievethatsecurity/low/crime/safetymakeanareaaniceplacetolive:
18-34 37%
35-54 35%
55+ 23%
Length of residence
RespondentsborninAustraliaweremorelikelytobelievefriendlypeoplemakeaniceplacetolive(41%comparedto21%foroverseasborn).
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Education
Thoserespondentswhodidnotcompletehighschoolweremorelikelytobelievethatfriendlypeoplemakeanareaaniceplacetolive:
Didnotcompletehighschool 32%
Completedhighschool 21%
Tertiaryeducated 19%
Thoserespondentswhodidnotcompletehighschoolwerelesslikelytobelievethatsecurity/low/crime/safetymakeanareaaniceplacetolive:
Didnotcompletehighschool 21%
Completedhighschool 36%
Tertiaryeducated 35%
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3.1PrioritiesandValues
Summary: Priorities and valuesHealthandeducationareconsideredthetwomostimportantissuesforStateGovernmentattentionnow,andhavegrowndramaticallyinimportancesince1996comparedtoanyotherissue.Theissuesofunemployment,crime,lawandviolenceandimmigrationhavedeclinedinimportancesince1996.ThesetrendsarealsoreflectedintheWho Cares about the Environment?researchseriesinthebroadercommunity.
AsinthewiderNSWpopulation,theenvironmentinageneralsenseisrankedsixthoverallasapriorityissueforStateGovernmentattentiontoday.However,thestrongemergenceofwaterconservationasthefourthrankedissueandenvironmentalconcernsthatmaybeassociatedwithotherissuessuchasroadsandtrafficorpublictransport,indicateagreaterpriorityforenvironmentalissues.Takentogetherwaterconservationandenvironmentrankthirdafterhealthandeducation.
In2004peoplefromselectethniccommunitiesinNSWwerealsoabletoarticulatemoreissuesforStateGovernmentattentionthantheywerein1996,withasubstantialdeclineinthedon’tknowresponse,atrendthatwasalsoseenintheWho Cares about the Environment?series.Waterconservationranksthirdandenvironmentrankssixthasapriorityissueforgovernmentintenyearstime.Theseissuesarementionedmorefrequentlyasfutureprioritiesthanaspresentprioritiesandtogethertheyformthehighestfuturepriority.
Levelofconcernfortheenvironmenthasshiftedslightlysince1996,withfewerpeoplein2004expressinglittleornoconcernaboutenvironmentalproblems.Levelofconcernvariessubstantiallyamongstthecommunities:fromtwothirdsoftheSpanishgroupveryconcernedtoonefifthoftheVietnamesegroup.Respondentspredominantlynominateastheirreasonsforconcern,concernforfuturegenerations,qualityoflifeandthehealtheffectsofpollution,ratherthanmaintenanceofnatureandecosystems.Thuspersonalandimmediateissuesaregivenmoreimportancethanlongertermandenvironmentalsustainabilityissues.
NinetyfivepercentofpeoplefromtheselectedethniccommunitiesinNSWratedenvironmentasaratherorveryimportantintheirlives,thesecondhighestafterfamily.Morethansevenintenpeopleratedenvironmentasveryimportant,andalmostaquarterrateitasratherimportant.Environmentisplacedabovework,friendsandleisureasapriorityinpeople’slives.WhilefamilyastheissueofmostimportancetoethniccommunitiesisthesameasthebroadercommunityintheWho Cares about the Environment in 2003?survey,ethniccommunitiesplacedmorevalueonworkandservicetootherswherethebroadercommunityplacedgreatervalueonfriendsandleisuretime.
WaterandairissuescontinuetobetheethniccommunitiesmainenvironmentalconcernforNSW,althoughwaterissuesarenowthedominantconcern,whereasairissuesweredominantin1996.Thisismostlikelytobeadirectresultofwaterrestrictionsandmediaattentiononissuesrelatedtothedroughtandwaterstoragelevels.Intheirlocalarea,however,morethanaquarterofparticipantscouldnotidentifyanyenvironmentalissues.
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.2Knowledge
3.2 KNOWLEDGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Seven statements were read out and people were asked if they were true or false. Statements were rotated to avoid order bias. Two statements (‘The Greenhouse Effect is caused by a hole in the Earth’s atmosphere’ and ‘Much more water in NSW is used for agriculture than for domestic and manufacturing combined’) were taken from the 2003 Who Cares about the Environment? study. The remaining five statements were asked for the first time in this study. None of the statements were asked in the NESB 1996 study.
Table4showsthepercentageofpeoplegivingcorrectorincorrectanswerstoeachstatementin2004.
TABLE 4
Knowledge of environmental issues
StatementsAnswer given is:
Correct % Incorrect %
TheGreenhouseEffectiscausedbyaholeintheEarth'satmosphere.(False)* 39 61
MuchmorewaterinNSWisusedforagriculturethanfordomesticandmanufacturingcombined.(True)**
40 60
Over90%ofNSW'selectricitycomesfromburningcoal.(True) 47 53
Productsmadeoutofrecycledmaterialsareusuallyoflowerquality.(False) 51 49
Leavesandgrassclippingsdonotpollutestormwaterbecausetheyarenatural.(False) 57 43
Mostbackyardspidersaredangeroustopeople.(False) 58 42
Nativebirdsandanimalscannotsurviveincitiesandtownsunlesswefeedthem.(False) 61 39
Note: Unsure option was not provided in the NESB 2004 survey, but was provided in the Who Cares? 2003 survey. * Who Cares? 2003: Correct 40%, Wrong 55%, Unsure 5% ** Who Cares? 2003: Correct 36%, Wrong 51%, Unsure 13%
Overallthereweresignificantgapsinknowledgeacrossthesamplewithlessthanhalfoftherespondentsansweringthestatementcorrectlyforthreeoutofsevenstatements.Thatnativebirdsandanimalscansurviveincitiesandtownswithoutbeingfedbyhumanswasthemostwidelyknown,butstillbyonly61%ofthesample.
Thereisageneralmisunderstandingabouttherelationshipbetweenthepresenceofaholeintheearth’satmosphereandthegreenhouseeffect,withatleastsixintenincorrectlybelievingsucharelationshipexists.TheresultsweresimilarintheWho Cares about the Environment?results(60%givingincorrectanswersornotsure),howevertheWho Cares?resultsalsosuggestthatknowledgeofthisissuehasbeenincreasingsince1994.
Morepeopleinthisstudy(40%)knewthatmuchmorewaterisusedbyagriculturethanbydomesticandmanufacturingusescombinedthanintheWho Cares?2003study(36%).Thismaybeduetoahigherproportioninthissamplebeingfromruralbackgroundsortocontinuedmediaattentiononwaterissues.
Thefocusgroupsalsomadesomecommentsontheseissues:
“This [greenhouse effect] requires special studies that none of us has undertaken.” [Arabic]
“It’s incredible how a country with so much to offer in terms of its natural beauty, has so many dangerous species of animals. It certainly puts me off from going camping – something I did quite regularly when I was in Chile.” [Spanish]
�0 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.2Knowledge
Knowledge of environmental issues
Language findingsTherewerelargevariationsbylanguageinabilitytocorrectlyanswertheseknowledgequestions.
Giventhelargevariationsbothwithinandacrossknowledgeareas,itisnotpossibletodrawanyconclusionsaboutoverallenvironmentalknowledgebylanguagegroups.ForexampleSpanish-speakersweresignificantlymorelikelytocorrectlybelievethatmaterialsmadeoutofrecycledproductsarenotofinferiorqualitybutsignificantlylesslikelytobeawaremuchmorewaterinNSWisusedforagriculturethanfordomesticandmanufacturingcombined.
Anydifferenceofmorethan20percentagepointsbetweentwolanguagesindicatesthatthedifferenceissignificantanddifferencesofmorethan13pointsbetweenonegroupandthetotalsamplearesignificant.Forexample,inthefigurebelowtheVietnamese-speakingrespondentsaresignificantlymorelikelythantheSpanishandGreek–speakingrespondentstogiveacorrectanswerregardingtheGreenhouseEffect.
FIGURE 17
Correct answers to knowledge questions, by language: NESB 2004
Greek 25%
Spanish 21%
Korean 34%
Macedonian 43%
Vietnamese 52%
Italian 35%
Arabic 43%
Chinese 56%
The Greenhouse Effect is caused by a hole in the Earth’s atmosphere. (FALSE)
0 100
AVERAGE 39%
AVERAGE 39%
Chinese 33%
Spanish 15%
Vietnamese 34%
Korean 45%
Italian 52%
Macedonian 36%
Arabic 48%
Greek 51%
Much more water in NSW is used for agriculture than for domestic and manufacturing combined. (TRUE)
0 100
AVERAGE 40%
AVERAGE 40%
Note: Percentages represent the proportion of respondents who correctly answered the question. Any difference of more than 20 percentage points between two languages is significant.
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3.2Knowledge
FIGURE 17
Correctly answering on knowledge questions, by language: NESB 2004 (cont.)
Italian 65%
Macedonian 73%
Spanish 44%
Vietnamese 69%
Korean 51%
Chinese 54%
Arabic 48%
Greek 51%
Leaves and grass clippings do not pollute stormwater because they are natural. (FALSE)
0 100
AVERAGE 57%
AVERAGE 57%
Spanish 78%
Italian 66%
Korean 44%
Chinese 52%
Arabic 54%
Vietnamese 48%
Macedonian 41%
Greek 27%
Products made out of recycled materials are usually of lower quality. (FALSE)
0 100
AVERAGE 51%
AVERAGE 51%
Spanish 43%
Italian 53%
Vietnamese 23%
Arabic 55%
Chinese 36%
Korean 49%
Macedonian 54%
Greek 65%
Over 90% of NSW’s electricity comes from burning coal. (TRUE)
0 100
AVERAGE 47%
AVERAGE 47%
Note: Percentages represent the proportion of respondents who correctly answered the question. Any difference of more than 20 percentage points between two languages is significant.
�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.2Knowledge
FIGURE 17
Correctly answering on knowledge questions, by language: NESB 2004 (cont.)
Korean 75%
Italian 56%
Macedonian 43%
Greek 50%
Chinese 60%
Vietnamese 51%
Spanish 85%
Arabic 45%
Most backyard spiders are dangerous to people. (FALSE)
0 100
AVERAGE 58%
AVERAGE 58%
Arabic 51%
Spanish 84%
Italian 61%Greek 45%
Chinese 76%
Vietnamese 58%
Macedonian 47%
Korean 62%
AVERAGE 61%
AVERAGE 61%
Native birds and animals cannot survive in cities and towns unless we feed them. (FALSE)
0 100
Note: Percentages represent the proportion of respondents who correctly answered the question. Any difference of more than 20 percentage points between two languages is significant.
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.2Knowledge
Knowledge of environmental issues
Demographic findings
Age and gender
Respondentsover55weremorelikelythan18-34yearoldstoincorrectlybelievethatproductsmadeoutofrecycledmaterialswereof inferiorquality(59%,comparedto43%).
Malesweremorelikelythanfemalestobeawarethatover90%of NSWelectricitycomesfromburningcoal(56%,comparedto41%).
Education
RespondentswhodidnotcompletehighschoolweremorelikelytocorrectlyidentifythatmuchmorewaterinNSWisusedforagriculturethanfordomesticandmanufacturingcombined(50%,comparedto36%ofthosewithtertiaryeducation).ThereweregreaterproportionsofGreekandItalianrespondentsinthiseducationalgroup,manyofwhomlivedinruralsituationsintheirhomecountry.
Thosewhodidnotcompletehighschoolweremorelikelytoincorrectlybelievethatproductsmadeoutofrecycledmaterialswereofinferiorquality(62%,comparedto41%oftertiaryeducated).
Awarenessthatitisuntruethatmostbackyardspidersaredangeroustopeopleincreasedaseducationincreased:
Didnotcompletehighschool 43%
Completedhighschool 54%
Tertiary 71%
Thetendencytoincorrectlybelievenativefaunaneedtobefedtosurviveincitiesandtownsdecreasedaseducationlevelincreased:
Didnotcompletehighschool 53%
Completedhighschool 37%
Tertiary 33%
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English language proficiency
RespondentswithEnglishlanguagedifficultiesweremorelikelytoincorrectlybelievethatproductsmadeoutofrecycledmaterialswereofinferiorquality(58%),comparedtorespondentswhowerefluentinEnglish(38%).
AwarenessthatitisuntruethatmostbackyardspidersaredangeroustopeopleincreasedwithEnglishlanguageproficiency(ELP):
PoorELP 49%
Difficultyreading/writing 53%
FluentinEnglish 67%
Length of residence
ThoseborninAustraliaweremorelikelytocorrectlyanswerthatitisuntruethatleavesandgrassclippingsdonotpollutestormwaterbecausetheyarenatural(70%,comparedto55%forrespondentsbornoverseas).
ThoseborninAustraliawerealsolesslikelytoincorrectlybelievethatproductsmadeoutofrecycledmaterialswereof inferiorquality(48%,comparedto72%).
RespondentsbornoverseaswerelesslikelythanrespondentsborninAustraliatobeawarethatover90%ofNSWelectricitycomesfromburningcoal(45%,comparedto62%).
RespondentsbornoverseasweremorelikelythanrespondentsborninAustraliatoincorrectlybelievethatmostbackyardspidersaredangeroustopeople(44%,comparedto29%).
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3.2Knowledge
Summary: Knowledge Aseriesoftrue-falsequestionsonenvironmentalissues,includingthegreenhouseeffect,waterusage,recycledproducts,sourceofNSWelectricityandwildlifeincitiesandbackyards,revealedsignificantgapsinknowledgeacrossallquestions.Thehighestlevelsofknowledge(approximately60%correctanswers)relatedtowildlifeinbackyards.
Knowledgequestionswerenotaskedinthe1996ethniccommunitiessurveysothatthesequestionsestablishbaselineinformationforevaluatingprogramsintothefuture.TwoquestionsalsousedintheWho Cares? 2003surveyshowedthatethniccommunitieshavelevelsofknowledgeaboutthegreenhouseeffectcomparabletothatofthegeneralcommunityandtheyaremorelikelytounderstandtherelativeuseofwaterinNSWbyagriculturecomparedtootherusers.
Thereareseveraldifferencesacrossthevariouslanguagegroupsinrelationtoknowledgelevels,althoughnolanguagegroupstandsoutasmoreorlessinformedthananother.
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3.3PersonalBehaviour
3.3 PERSONAL BEHAVIOUR
Frequency of environmentally friendly behaviour in the last twelve months
A list of 14 environmentally friendly behaviours was read out (Figure 18). People were then asked, for each behaviour:
Question: “… whether or not in the past twelve months have you often done that, sometimes done that, just occasionally done it or never done that?”
A similar question was asked in the Who Cares? 2003 survey. Avoiding putting oil, fat, turps, paint down the sink or toilet was asked in the Who Cares? survey, but not in the NESB 2004 survey. Instead ‘recycled paper and/or other materials at work’ was added. ‘Kept your cat inside at night’ was also included in this survey.
Theactivitythatmostrespondents(77%)haveoftendoneinthelasttwelvemonthsisreducedwaterconsumption.Twothirdshavereducedenergyconsumption(67%)orpreventedstormwaterpollution,forexamplebynotwashingtheircarinthestreetornotputtingleavesorlitterdownthedrain(64%).
Theotheractivitiesthatmorethanfouroutoftenhaveoftendoneinthelasttwelvemonthsare:Recycledpaperand/orothermaterialsatwork 59%Decidedtoreusesomethinginsteadofthrowingitaway 54%Boughtenergyefficientappliancesorlightglobes 47%Boughtproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironment 41%
ReducingwaterconsumptionwasmentionedmoreoftenbythoseintheNESB 2004surveythanthoseintheWho Cares? 2003survey.AstherewasnosignificantdifferenceintheWho Cares? 2003surveybetweentheresponsestothisquestionofthosewhospokeEnglishandthosewhospokealanguageotherthanEnglishathome,thissuggeststhattherecentwaterrestrictionsandmediaattentiontowaterconsumptionissueshashadasignificantimpactonbehaviourinthepasttwelvemonths.
ThemostcommonactivitiespeopleintheNESB 2004samplehaveneverdoneinthelasttwelvemonthsare:
Participatedinlocalenvironmentalissues 67%Composted 46%Triedtogetinformationtoprotecttheenvironment 40%
Avoidedplasticbagswhenshopping 30%
ComparedtotherespondentsintheWho Cares? 2003survey,therespondentsintheNESB2004 surveyweresignificantlylesslikelytofrequentlyengagein: NESB 2004 Who Cares? 2003
Composting 26% 47%Boughtproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironment 41% 52%
Re-usesomethinginsteadofthrowingitaway 54% 62%
TherespondentsintheNESB2004 surveywerealsomorelikelytorespondthattheyneverparticipateinlocalenvironmentalissues(67%,comparedto58%inWho Cares? 2003).
TheproportionofrespondentsintheNESB2004 surveywhoindicatedanactivitywasnotapplicabletothemwassignificantlyhigherformostbehavioursthanintheWho Cares?2003 survey.Thisresponseoptionwasnotreadtorespondentsineithersample.Thismaysuggestalowerlevelofunderstandingamongstthenon-Englishspeakingbackgroundrespondentsaboutthenatureoftheactivity.However,thelargenotapplicableforthequestiononcatssimplyreflectsaveragecatownershipof22%7.
7.NSWNationalParksandWildlifeService(2002).Urban Wildlife Renewal: growing conservation in urban communities.UnpublishedResearchReport,DetailedTabularFindingspp145-146.March.
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3.3PersonalBehaviour
FIGURE 18
Environmentally friendly practices in the last twelve months: NESB 2004
Percentage of respondents
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Participated in local environmental issues
Kept your cat inside at night
Sourced environmental information
Composted
Avoided plastic bags when shopping
Avoided products with lots of packaging
Reduced use of the car
Bought products better for environment
Bought energy-efficient appliances/globes
Reused something instead of throwing away
Recycled paper and/or other materials
Prevented stormwater pollution
Reduced energy consumption
Reduced water consumption 77
67
64
59
54
47
41
37
34
33
26
19
6
6
16
22
13
15
24
24
23
23
19
24
12
18
2
11
4
5
4
4
8
8
11
11
12
12
5
18
1
10
3
6
14
12
11
20
20
22
27
30
46
40
18
67
1
5
10
2
2
5
7
8
1
10
5
73
6
Not applicableNeverOccasionallySometimesOften
FIGURE 19
Environmentally friendly practices in the last twelve months: Who Cares? 2003
Note: Totals in graphs may not equal 100% due to rounding.
Percentage of respondents
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Not applicableNeverOccasionallySometimesOften
Participated in local environmental issues
Sourced environmental information
Avoided plastic bags when shopping
Reduced use of the car
Avoided products with lots of packaging
Composted
Bought energy-efficient appliances/globes
Bought products better for environment
Reused something instead of throwing away
Reduced water consumption
Prevented stormwater pollution
Reduced energy consumption
Avoided putting oil, fat, turps, paint down sink 76
70
70
65
62
52
48
47
40
38
31
18
10
7
19
11
21
24
27
28
15
25
25
22
28
17
4
8
5
7
8
10
9
7
13
12
12
18
15
13
3
12
6
6
10
14
29
21
24
35
36
58
2
1
1
2
1
1
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
Heading
DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) ��
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.3PersonalBehaviour
FIGURE 18
Environmentally friendly practices in the last twelve months: NESB 2004
Percentage of respondents
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Participated in local environmental issues
Kept your cat inside at night
Sourced environmental information
Composted
Avoided plastic bags when shopping
Avoided products with lots of packaging
Reduced use of the car
Bought products better for environment
Bought energy-efficient appliances/globes
Reused something instead of throwing away
Recycled paper and/or other materials
Prevented stormwater pollution
Reduced energy consumption
Reduced water consumption 77
67
64
59
54
47
41
37
34
33
26
19
6
6
16
22
13
15
24
24
23
23
19
24
12
18
2
11
4
5
4
4
8
8
11
11
12
12
5
18
1
10
3
6
14
12
11
20
20
22
27
30
46
40
18
67
1
5
10
2
2
5
7
8
1
10
5
73
6
Not applicableNeverOccasionallySometimesOften
FIGURE 19
Environmentally friendly practices in the last twelve months: Who Cares? 2003
Note: Totals in graphs may not equal 100% due to rounding.
Frequency of environmentally friendly behaviour in the last twelve months: NESB 2004
Language findingsTherewerelargevariationsbylanguageintermsofenvironmentalbehaviour.Giventhelargevariationsbothwithinandacrossbehaviouralareas,itisnotpossibletodrawanyconclusionsaboutoverallenvironmentalbehaviourbylanguagegroup.Thedifferencesbylanguagegroupforeachofthelistedbehavioursarepresentedbelow.Differencesbetweenlanguagegroupsofmorethan20percentagepointsaresignificant.
FIGURE 20
Frequency of specific environmentally friendly behaviours in the last twelve months, by language: NESB 2004
Percentage of respondents
Reused something instead of throwing away
0 20 40 60 80 100
Vietnamese
Arabic
Spanish
Korean
Macedonian
Greek
Chinese
Italian 61
59
58
56
56
51
50
45
24
20
28
24
20
16
28
34
6
14
4
8
11
9
8
7
8
7
10
11
13
13
14
11
1
1
1
11
1
3
Percentage of respondents
Prevented stormwater pollution
0 20 40 60 80 100
Chinese
Italian
Korean
Vietnamese
Greek
Arabic
Spanish
Macedonian 85
79
72
70
65
58
48
37
7
7
11
17
18
13
18
13
3
4
2
3
4
4
6
3
1
9
15
9
6
22
18
32
4
1
1
8
3
10
15
Percentage of respondents
Avoided plastic bags
0 20 40 60 80 100
Vietnamese
Chinese
Arabic
Macedonian
Greek
Italian
Korean
Spanish 44
44
43
34
31
26
24
17
24
15
33
19
18
29
25
28
15
14
14
8
8
8
16
13
17
25
10
39
42
37
35
37
2
1
1
1
5
Reduced energy consumption
0 20 40 60 80 100
Italian
Spanish
Arabic
Greek
Korean
Chinese
Macedonian
Vietnamese 78
75
75
74
61
61
55
55
20
12
19
12
22
26
38
31
2
7
3
3
6
4
6
8
6
2
11
11
8
1
5
1
2
1
1
Percentage of respondents
Not applicableNeverOccasionallySometimesOften
�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.3PersonalBehaviour
FIGURE 20
Frequency of specific environmentally friendly behaviours in the last twelve months, by language: NESB 2004 (cont.)
Percentage of respondents
Composted food or garden refuse
0 20 40 60 80 100
Chinese
Arabic
Spanish
Greek
Vietnamese
Macedonian
Italian
Korean 49
43
29
27
26
14
13
11
11
16
6
11
10
20
20
5
5
6
8
1
5
8
6
2
33
30
55
37
58
47
53
58
2
5
2
25
1
11
9
25
Percentage of respondents
Purchased energy efficient appliances
0 20 40 60 80 100
Macedonian
Spanish
Italian
Greek
Arabic
Korean
Chinese
Vietnamese 67
60
59
44
41
39
33
29
17
19
10
23
19
30
54
19
4
9
7
9
12
12
7
7
8
13
22
21
28
17
6
44
5
2
4
2
1
Avoided products with excess packaging
0 20 40 60 80 100
Chinese
Vietnamese
Arabic
Korean
Macedonian
Italian
Spanish
Greek 50
48
37
35
32
31
27
17
20
15
26
17
16
32
16
13
5
14
22
11
7
12
8
15
25
17
12
35
22
21
28
54
6
3
2
23
5
22
2
Percentage of respondents
Reduced fuel consumption
0 20 40 60 80 100
Italian
Chinese
Arabic
Korean
Vietnamese
Macedonian
Spanish
Greek 48
46
43
41
34
34
25
22
20
27
19
28
15
28
20
30
4
14
9
10
14
8
10
21
28
9
25
10
35
24
33
14
4
4
12
2
7
13
13
Percentage of respondents
Not applicable
NeverOccasionally
Sometimes
Often
Percentage of respondents
Bought products better for the environment
0 20 40 60 80 100
Chinese
Vietnamese
Arabic
Italian
Korean
Greek
Macedonian
Spanish 63
52
43
40
40
39
32
17
23
25
25
18
26
30
16
22
8
6
9
9
22
12
8
12
6
13
23
28
11
18
16
48
4
5
1
2
28
2
Percentage of respondents
Sourced information about environment
0 20 40 60 80 100
Chinese
Italian
Macedonian
Greek
Spanish
Vietnamese
Korean
Arabic 26
24
23
22
21
16
12
9
19
13
17
26
20
10
24
15
11
17
14
30
13
20
28
14
45
46
20
21
46
53
35
58
28
1
1
1
5
Not applicableNeverOccasionallySometimesOften
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.3PersonalBehaviour
FIGURE 20
Frequency of specific environmentally friendly behaviours in the last twelve months, by language: NESB 2004 (cont.)
Reduced water consumption
0 20 40 60 80 100
Chinese
Arabic
Italian
Korean
Greek
Vietnamese
Macedonian
Spanish 84
83
81
81
76
75
73
65
14
11
16
14
12
19
14
28
2
3
2
1
6
4
6
5
3
1
4
6
1
6
2
1
1
Percentage of respondents
Not applicable
NeverOccasionally
Sometimes
Often
Participated in local environment activities
0 20 40 60 80 100
Chinese
Spanish
Vietnamese
Macedonian
Greek
Italian
Korean
Arabic 12
9
8
8
5
3
3
1
11
8
12
11
7
8
26
3
7
8
12
7
8
8
26
8
70
75
67
74
80
42
43
81
1
39
2
7
Percentage of respondents
Not applicable
NeverOccasionally
Sometimes
Often
Recycled materials at work
0 20 40 60 80 100
Italian
Greek
Chinese
Vietnamese
Macedonian
Arabic
Korean
Spanish 77
68
65
59
55
55
54
40
8
14
16
3
24
13
13
30
6
7
1
2
5
8
4
4
11
16
11
5
15
32
1
5
2
25
12
10
1
25
Percentage of respondents
Not applicable
NeverOccasionally
Sometimes
Often
Kept my cat indoors at night*
0 20 40 60 80 100
Arabic
Chinese
Greek**
Italian
Korean
Macedonian
Spanish
Vietnamese 5
2
9
8
9
8
1
9
3
1
2
3
1
1
5
12
2
14
6
15
74
6
17
2
3
1
1
80
96
76
82
70
16
92
68
Percentage of respondents
*High not applicable in this question generally indicates those who do not own cats.
**Anomalous Greek results are likely to be a result of coding those who did not have cats as never keeping cats indoors at night.
Not applicableNeverOccasionallySometimesOften
�0 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.3PersonalBehaviour
Frequency of environmentally friendly behaviour in last twelve months
Demographic findings
Age and gender
Astheageofrespondentsincreasedsodidthelikelihoodofsayingthattheyoftenreusesomethinginsteadofthrowingitaway:
18-34 46%
35-54 56%
55+ 59%
Astheageofrespondentsincreasedsodidthelikelihoodofsayingthattheyoftenavoidplasticbagstocarryshoppinghome:
18-34 25%
35-54 34%
55+ 37%
Respondentsover55yearsweremorelikelytosaythattheyoftenavoidproductswithlotsofpackagingwhendoingtheshoppingthanotheragegroups:
18-34 25%
35-54 34%
55+ 42%
Youngerrespondentswerelesslikelytosaythattheyoftenchoosehouseholdproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironmentthanotheragegroups:
18-34 31%
35-54 47%
55+ 41%
Thelikelihoodofmakinganefforttooftenreducewaterconsumptionincreasedwithage:
18-34 65%
35-54 80%
55+ 84%
n
◆
◆
◆
n
◆
◆
◆
n
◆
◆
◆
n
◆
◆
◆
n
◆
◆
◆
Olderrespondentswerelesslikelythanotheragegroupstosaythattheyoftenrecyclepaperand/orothermaterialsatwork:
18-34 60%
35-54 70%
55+ 44%
English language proficiency
RespondentswithEnglishlanguagedifficultieswerelesslikelytooftenrecyclepaper/orothermaterialsatwork(49%),comparedtorespondentswhowerefluentinEnglish(71%).
RespondentsfluentinEnglishwerelesslikelytopurchaseenergyefficientappliancesorlightglobesthanthosewithEnglishlanguagedifficulties(41%,comparedto51%).
Length of residence
ThoseborninAustraliawerelesslikelytooftenreduceenergyconsumptionbyturningofflightsandusingheatingandcoolingmoreefficientlythanrespondentsbornoverseas(51%,comparedto69%).
Education
Thetendencytooftenrecyclepaperand/orothermaterialsatworkincreasedasthelevelofeducationincreased:
Didnotcompletehighschool 37%
Completedhighschool 65%
Tertiaryeducated 70%
n
◆
◆
◆
n
n
n
n
◆
◆
◆
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) ��
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.3PersonalBehaviour
Reasons for engaging in environmentally friendly practices
Those who mentioned that they often adopted the following activities [from the previous question] were asked:
Question: You mentioned you often do [activities below]. Can you remember what prompted you to start doing that?
Decided to reuse something instead of throwing it away
Made an effort to reduce water consumption
Taken active steps to prevent stormwater pollution, for example by not washing your car in the street, or not putting leaves or litter down the drain
Taken active steps to reduce energy consumption, for example by turning off lights, and using appliances or home heating and cooling more efficiently
Purchased energy-efficient appliances or light globes
Taken active steps to reduce fuel consumption and vehicle air pollution, for example by car-pooling, using public transport, bicycling or walking.
◆
◆
◆
◆
◆
◆
Thefollowingfourreasonswerecitedmostoftenasthemainmotivatingfactorsinrelationtodecisionstoadoptenvironmentallyfriendlybehaviours:
Savemoney
Concernfortheenvironment
Communityresponsibility
Waterrestrictionsand/ordrought.
Table5showsthereasonsthatrespondentsindicatedforadoptingspecificbehaviours.Anyreasoncitedbymorethanfourintenrespondents(ofthosewhosaidtheyadoptedthebehaviouroften)hasbeenhighlighted.Noconsistentmotivationdominates,althoughcommunityresponsibilityisraisedlessoverall.
Savingmoneyisaconsiderablemotivatorforengaginginenvironmentallyresponsibleactivities,beingthemostcitedreasoninrelationtoreusingsomethinginsteadofthrowingitaway,reducingenergyconsumptionandusingenergyefficientappliances.
TABLE 5
Reasons for engaging in environmentally friendly practices: NESB 2004
Top four reasons cited for adopting environmentally friendly behaviour
Save moneyConcern for environment
Community responsibility
Water restrictions
and/or drought
Reusesomethinginsteadofthrowingitaway n=438 ��% 31% 12%
Reducewaterconsumption n=622 21% 18% ��%
Preventstormwaterpollution n=517 7% �0% 25% 10%
Reduceenergyconsumption n=537 ��% 21% 12%
Useofenergyefficientappliances n=374 ��% 18% 5%
Reducefuelconsumptionoruseofcar n=294 37% ��% 20%
Note: The sample sizes relating to the various activities are too small for demographic or language group comparison.
n
n
n
n
�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.3PersonalBehaviour
Focusgroupparticipantsagreedthatfinesandrestrictionswereanincentivetoengaginginenvironmentallyfriendlypractices:
“An enormous change has taken place in respect to smoking in public places and I seriously do not think these changes could have happened so dramatically without fines being imposed.” [Spanish]
“I use grey water for my lawn but I only recently started doing it because of the water restrictions.” [Greek]
“In Korea, the garbage collection system is strict, so if is not followed correctly, your rubbish won’t be collected by the city council.” [Korean]
Focusgroupparticipantsalsoagreedthattheyweremuchmorelikelytoengageinenvironmentallyfriendlypracticeswhichareseentobeeasyandconvenient:
“I recycle because my Council has set up a system and it is easy for me … there is no excuse!” [Greek]
Reasons for non-engagement
Those who mentioned that they never or just occassionally adopted the following activities were asked:
Question: You mentioned you never/just occasionally do [activities below]. What are the main reasons why you don’t, or don’t often do this?
Avoided plastic bags to carry home shopping
Composted food and/or garden refuse
When doing the shopping, tried to avoid products with lots of packaging
Chosen household products that you think are better for the environment
Made an effort to reduce water consumption.
◆
◆
◆
◆
◆
Arangeofreasonswerecited,whichvarieddependingonthenatureoftheactivity(Table6).Anyreasonthatwascitedbymorethantwointenrespondents(amongthosewhosaidtheyneveradoptedthebehaviour)hasbeenhighlighted.
AsTable6shows,anactivitythatisbelievedtobeinconvenientortime-consumingislesslikelytobeadopted,forexample:
Avoidingplasticbags
Composting
Avoidingproductswithexcesspackaging.
Therewasalsoalackofknowledgeandawarenessdisplayedaroundthefollowingactivities:
Composting
Choosingproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironment
Avoidingproductswithexcesspackaging.
n
n
n
n
n
n
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) ��
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.3PersonalBehaviour
TABLE 6
Reasons for non-engagement: NESB 2004
InconvenientDon’t
know how
Unaware it was
importantTime
consuming
Don’t buy many products
Avoidplasticbags n=340 ��% 8% 9% 9%
Compost n=414 19% ��% 9% 9%
Avoidproductswithexcesspackaging n=310 ��% 9% ��% 9% 9%
Choseproductsthatarebetterforenvironmentn=250 14% 17% ��% 9% 12%
Note: This question was also asked of respondents who said they never made an effort to reduce water consumption. However this only represented n = 52 respondents, which is considered too small for reliable analysis. The sample sizes relating to the various activities are too small for demographic or language group comparison.
Focusgroupparticipantsalsosaidtheywerelesslikelytoengageinenvironmentallyfriendlypracticesthatwereperceivedtobetimeconsumingorinconvenient:
“Re-using the water from the washing machine seems too difficult as I can’t carry buckets from the laundry.” [Arabic]
“I did it once [caught public transport to the beach from the Western suburbs] and never again! Waiting for the bus, then the train and then another bus … plus taking all the things you need to take. I thought I was going to die.” [Spanish]
“Native birds, possums and bats eat fruit, dirty the ground with droppings and disrupt gardens.” [Italian]
“[Composts] have an offensive smell that attracts insects.” [Korean]
Similarly,focusgroupparticipantsmentionedlackofknowledgeorawarenesswasalsoabarriertoengaginginenvironmentallyfriendlypractices:
“I’d love to compost, but can someone show me how to do it?” [Greek]
“I don’t know what renewable energy is.” [Chinese]
“Reducing the use of chemicals on the garden may be possible if we were made aware of what to use and what not to use and the effects of chemicals on the environment.” [Korean]
Otherissueswereraisedinthefocusgroups,included:
thecostassociatedwithrenewableenergy,buyingenergyefficientappliances,greywatersystems,etc.
“What’s the point in the government spending huge sums of money in raising peoples’ awareness, if people are not able to afford the alternative products. If governments are serious about these issues they should subsidise the production of environmentally friendly products and services.” [Spanish]
concernsaboutthequalityofrecycledproducts
“I don’t think that recycled water is clean enough.” [Vietnamese]
culturalimpedimentstoengagingincertainenvironmentalbehaviours
“It is un-Chinese to be an ‘activist’. Any protest movement is perceived as anti-government.” [Chinese]
“Taking your own shopping bags reminds me of being back in Macedonia.” [Macedonian]
Itshouldbenotedthattheselastissues,whileraisedintheChineseandMacedonianfocusgroupsdidnotappearwithanysignificanceinthequantitativefindings.
n
n
n
�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.3PersonalBehaviour
The most damaging behaviour from an environmental viewpoint
Question: What would you say are the most damaging things that you do, from an environmental point of view, in the way you live and work?
This question was unprompted and open-ended. It was not asked in 1996.
Useoftoxicchemicalsanddetergentsandlitteringorbeingcarelesswithrubbishwerementionedmostfrequentlyasenvironmentallydamagingbehaviours(Figure21),bothmentionedby14%ofrespondents.
Aroundoneintenrespondentsmentionedthefollowingbehaviours:
Usingplasticbagswhenshopping 11%
Puttingoil,fatorturpsdownthesink 10%
Notusingpublictransport 8%
Notrecyclingenoughoratall 9%
TherewereanumberofsignificantdifferencesbetweentheNESB2004 resultsandtheWho Cares?2003results.TherespondentsintheNESB2004 studyweremorelikelytoidentify:
Usingtoxicchemicalsordetergents 14%,comparedto5%inWho Cares? 2003
Litteringorbeingcarelesswithrubbish 14%,comparedto4%inWho Cares? 2003
Puttingfat,oilorturpsdownthesink 10%,comparedto4%inWho Cares? 2003
TherespondentsintheNESB2004 studywerelesslikelytoidentify:
Notusingpublictransport 9%,comparedto16%inWho Cares? 2003
Wastingenergy 2%,comparedto11%inWho Cares? 2003
TherespondentsintheNESB2004 surveywerealsomorelikelynottobeabletoidentifyanydamagingbehaviourthattheydo(26%,comparedto18%inWho Cares? 2003).
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
Heading
DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) ��
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.3PersonalBehaviour
FIGURE 21
Environmentally damaging behaviour: NESB 2004
Percentage of respondents
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Don't know
Other
Wasting paper
Wasting energy
Buy products with lots of packaging
Smoking
Failure to compost (enough)
Wasting water
Use leaded petrol
Generate a lot of waste
Failure to recycle
Not using public transport
Fat, oil down sink
Plastic bags when shopping
Littering, careless with rubbish
Toxic chemicals, detergents 14
14
11
10
9
8
6
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
8
26
NESB 2004 n = 805
FIGURE 22
Environmentally damaging behaviour: Who Cares? 2003
Percentage of respondents
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Don't know
Other
Failure to compost (enough)
Generate a lot of waste
Fat, oil down sink
Littering, careless with rubbish
Wasting paper
Toxic chemicals, detergents
Smoking
Failure to recycle
Wasting water
Wasting energy
Not using public transport
Using the car 23
16
11
10
7
6
5
5
4
4
3
0
11
18
Who Cares? 2003 n = 1,421
�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.3PersonalBehaviour
Environmentally damaging behaviour
Language findingsTherangeofresponsestothisquestionvariedsignificantlyacrosslanguagegroupsinrelationtoafewbehaviours.SignificantdifferencesarehighlightedinTable7below,whichshows:
TheGreekandVietnamese-speakingrespondentsweremorelikelytosaytheywerecarelesswiththeirrubbishthantheItalian-speakingrespondents.
TheGreekandSpanish-speakingrespondentsweremorelikelytoidentifyusingchemicalsandherbicidesthantheArabic,ChineseandMacedonian-speakingrespondents.
TheChinese-speakingrespondentsweremorelikelytonominateusingtoomanyplasticbagswhenshoppingthanMacedonianandVietnamese-speakingrespondents.
TheChinese,MacedonianandVietnamese-speakersweremorelikelynottobeabletonominateanydamagingbehavioursfromanenvironmentalviewpointthantheGreekorSpanish-speakingrespondents.
n
n
n
n
TABLE 7
Environmentally damaging behaviour, by language: NESB 2004
Ara
bic
Chi
nese
Gre
ek
Ital
ian
Ko
rean
Mac
edo
nian
Sp
anis
h
Vie
tnam
ese
Tota
l
Percent (%)
Littering,carelesswithrubbish 10 20 �� � 12 7 9 �� 14
Useoftoxicchemicals,pesticides,herbicides � 0 �0 14 14 � �� 11 14
Usealotofplasticbagswhenshopping 9 �� 17 7 8 � 19 � 11
Letfat,oilandotherthingsdownthesink,toilet 11 10 9 12 11 6 16 6 10
Notusingpublictransport 10 9 5 7 3 7 17 13 9
Failuretorecycle(enoughoratall) 13 3 3 17 16 5 6 2 8
Generatealotofwaste(homeorbusiness) 5 7 11 6 4 2 8 2 6
Useleadedpetrol 8 1 3 3 1 7 2 3 4
Donotrecyclewater/usemorethanIshould 6 6 0 4 3 5 9 2 4
Failuretocompost(enoughoratall) 5 1 2 3 8 1 0 1 3
Smoking 7 2 2 1 2 6 2 4 3
Buyproductswithalotofpackaging 2 0 0 6 0 2 2 2 2
Usealotofenergy(e.g.wasteelectricity,don’tturnofflights,usealotofappliances,noinsulation)
0 2 1 2 0 5 2 2 2
Wastingpaper 1 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 1
Don’tknow 24 �� � 23 23 �� � �� 26
Key: Language group highlighted with is significantly more likely to nominate a damaging behaviour than language group
highlighted with .
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
Heading
DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) ��
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.3PersonalBehaviour
Outdoor spaces around the home
A list of items were read to respondents regarding possible uses of outdoor spaces around the home.
Question: I am going to read out a list of items, and I would like you to tell me which ones apply to you.
Entertaininginthebackyardwasthemostcommonlycitedactivity,with57%ofrespondentsentertainingintheirbackyardmorethanfourtimeseachyear.
Aroundhalftherespondentsgrewvegetables,fruitorherbs(49%)orAustraliannativeplants(47%).Aroundoneinthreerespondentshadplayequipmentintheirbackyardforchildren.
Lessthanaquarterofallparticipantscompostedkitchenscrapsorothergardenrefuse.
FIGURE 23
Use of outdoor spaces around the home: NESB 2004
Percentage of respondents
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Have compostand/or worm farm
Have play equipmentfor children
Grow Australiannative plants
Grow vegetables,fruit or herbs
Entertain in yard morethan four times per year
57
49
47
32
23
NESB 2004
Note: All people, except those who lived in a flat with no balcony, were asked about composting and growing vegetables, i.e. 763 people. All people, except those who lived in any type of flat, were asked about native plants, entertaining in the backyard and play equipment, i.e. 645 people.
�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.3PersonalBehaviour
Outdoor spaces around the home
Language findingsTherewereanumberofdifferencesbylanguageregardinguseofoutdoorspacesaroundthehome:
TheChinese-speakersweresignificantlylesslikelythanallotherlanguagegroupstoentertainintheirbackyard.InthefocusgroupstheChinesespeakersweremorelikelytospeakoflarge,spacious,cleanandmodernhomesasakeyaspectoftheenjoymenttheygainfromtheirhome,ratherthantheirbackyard.
TheItalianandVietnamese-speakingrespondentswerethemostlikelytogrowvegetables,fruitorherbs,whiletheSpanishandKorean-speakersweretheleastlikely.
TheGreek-speakerswerethemostlikelytogrowAustraliannativeplants.TheimportanceofplantswasreflectedinthefocusgroupwithGreekparticipants.
“I have a big backyard with lots of trees and flowers and it is a haven for me, to sit and relax and look at nature, the birds in the trees …” [Greek]
TheArabic-speakingrespondentswerethemostlikelytohaveplayequipmentintheirbackyards,whiletheSpanish-speakersweretheleastlikely.
TheItalian-speakingrespondentsweresignificantlymorelikelythanChinese-speakerstohaveacompostheaporwormfarm.
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n
TABLE 8
Outdoor spaces around the home, by language: NESB 2004
Ara
bic
Chi
nese
Gre
ek
Ital
ian
Ko
rean
Mac
edo
nian
Sp
anis
h
Vie
tnam
ese
Tota
l
Percent (%)
Ientertaininmybackyardmorethanfourtimesayear 69 �� 50 68 52 67 71 44 57
Igrowvegetables,fruitorherbs 50 40 50 �0 �� 56 �� �� 49
IgrowAustraliannativeplants 34 47 �� 48 32 57 36 47 47
Ihaveplayequipmentforchildren �� 27 37 33 34 25 �� 27 32
Ihaveacompostheaporwormfarm 17 � 19 �0 17 28 19 25 23
Key: Language group highlighted with is significantly more likely to nominate than language group highlighted with .
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) ��
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.3PersonalBehaviour
Summary: Personal behaviourPromptedwithalist,respondentsintheresearchgenerallyagreedtherewereatleastsomethingstheydoregularlytohelpprotecttheenvironment.Thebehaviourscitedmostoftenarereducingwaterconsumption,reducingenergyconsumptionandpreventingstormwaterpollution.Inaddition,morethanhalfofthepeoplefromselectedethniccommunitiesrecyclepaperorothermaterialsatworkorhavedecidedtoreusesomethinginsteadofthrowingitaway.Morethanfourintenhavefrequentlyboughtenergyefficientappliancesorlightglobes,orotherproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironment.
Peoplearelesslikelytoparticipateinlocalenvironmentalissues,trytogetinformationabouttheenvironmentorcomposttheirkitchen/gardenwaste.
Theprimaryreasonspeoplegaveforadoptingbehaviourthatisperceivedasenvironmentallyfriendlyweretosavemoney,concernfortheenvironment,asenseofcivicresponsibilityorasadirectresultofenvironmentalregulationsuchaswaterrestrictions.
Environmentallyfriendlybehaviourthatisperceivedastimeconsumingordifficultislesslikelytobeadopted,whichwasthecaseforavoidingplasticbags,compostingoravoidingproductswithexcesspackaging.
Lackofknowledgeabouthowtoparticipateinenvironmentallyfriendlybehaviourorlackofawarenessoftheenvironmentalimpactsofagivenactivityisalsoasignificantbarriertobehaviouraluptake.Thisisparticularlyrelevantforcomposting,choosingproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironmentandavoidingproductswithexcesspackaging.
Qualitativefindingsalsosuggestthatactivitiesthatareseenasrequiringcapitaloutlay,forexampleinvestigatingrenewableenergyoptions,energyefficientappliancesandgreywatersystemswerealsolesslikelytobeadopted.
Inanunpromptedquestion,usingtoxicchemicalsordetergentswasoneoftwoenvironmentallydamagingpersonalbehavioursmostfrequentlyidentifiedinthissurveyofNESBcommunities.Bycontrast,thisissueisbarelymentionedintheWho Cares? 2003survey,eitherinthissamequestionorasanenvironmentalissueorasoneofthetwomostimportantenvironmentalissuesinNSWtoday.
�0 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.4InformationSources
3.4 INFORMATION SOURCES
Sources of information about environmental issues
Question a: How do you mainly get informed about environmental issues? (‘Main source’)
Question b: Where would you most like to receive information about the environment? (‘Preferred source’)
These were unprompted questions
Massmediawereoverwhelminglyconsideredthemainsourceofinformationaboutenvironmentalissues.Televisionratedmosthighlyoverall,followedbynewspapers,thenradio(Figure24).
Almostoneintenrespondentsconsideredbrochuresdistributedbygovernmenttobesignificantsourcesofinformation.Allremainingsourcesofinformationwereidentifiedbylessthan10%ofallrespondents.
Respondentswerealsoaskedtonominatetheirpreferredsourceofinformation.Whilethepatternformainsourceofinformationwassimilartopreferredsources,thereweresomedifferences.Respondents’mainsourcesofinformationweretelevision,radioandnewspapers,buttheywerelesslikelytonominatethesemediaastheirpreferredsourceofinformation.However,thewayrespondentsansweredthequestionsmeansthatthegapisnotasgreatasthegraphsuggests–seethenotewiththegraph.
Adultfamilymembers,whileanactualsourceofinformationfor6%orrespondents,wereonlyapreferredsourcefor2%ofrespondents.
Conversely,respondentsweremorelikelytoidentifythefollowingasapreferredsourceofinformationthananactualsourceofinformation:
Environmentalgroups mainsourcefor2%,preferredsourcefor7%
Brochuresfromenvironmentalgroups mainsourcefor4%,preferredsourcefor6%
Brochuresfromgovernment mainsourcefor9%,preferredsourcefor12%
Theseresultsindicatethatrespondentsprefertoreceiveinformationabouttheenvironmentfromsourcesthattheyseeashavingexpertiseinthearea,ratherthanmoreinformalmediasuchasfamilymembers(includingchildren),communityorganisations,workplaces,etc.
Figure25comparestheresultsforthemainsourcesofinformationaboutenvironmentalissuesbetween1996and2004.In2004therespondentsweresignificantlymorelikelytonominatethefollowinginformationchannelsasmainsourcesofinformation:
Television 60%,upfrom49%in1996
Brochures totalof13%,notmentionedin1996
Magazines 8%,upfrom1%in1996
Informationsourcesmentionedforthefirsttimein2004wereinternet,schools,work,environmentalorganisations,communityorganisationsandchildren.
Respondentsweremuchmorelikelytobeabletonominateasourceofinformationabouttheenvironmentin2004.Only3%indicatedtheydidnotgetinformedabouttheenvironment,downfrom14%in1996.
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.4InformationSources
FIGURE 24
Main and preferred sources of information about the environment: NESB 2004
Percentage of respondents
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
No response
Don't know
Other
Do not get informed
Children
Community organisations
Environmental organisations
Work
Schools
Brochures - environmental groups
Adult family member
Internet
Magazines
Brochures - Government
Radio
Newspapers
Television 60
44
24
9
8
6
6
4
3
2
2
2
1
3
3
2
0
48
30
20
12
5
4
2
6
3
`0
7
3
`0
1
5
3
1
NESB 2004 n = 850
Preferred sourceMain source
Note: The data for each information source is based on the proportion of all respondents (n=805) who nominated the specific information source. Both questions (i.e. main and preferred information sources) were multiple response questions. However more respondents mentioned multiple sources of information in relation to main sources than for preferred sources, where most people tended to nominate only one source. If the above data is analysed by proportion of total responses rather than proportion of total respondents, the differences between preferred and main source of information becomes insignificant. For example: Television: main source 34%, preferred source 32%. Newspapers: main source 24%, preferred source 20%; Radio: main source 13%, preferred source 14%.
FIGURE 25
Main sources of information about the environment: NESB 1996-2004
Percentage of respondents
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Do not get informed
Councils
Children
Community organisations
Environmental organisations
Work
Schools
Friends and family
Internet
Magazines
Brochures
Radio
Newspapers
Television 60
44
24
13
8
6
6
3
2
2
2
1
0
3
49
48
18
0
1
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
14
NESB 1996 n = 601NESB 2004 n = 805
�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.4InformationSources
Sources of information about environmental issues
Language findingsTherangeofresponsestothisquestionvariedsignificantlyacrosslanguagegroupsinrelationtoafewinformationsources.Table9showsthesedifferencesforthemostmentionedinformationsources.Section4ofthisreportprovidesamediaprofileoutliningmediausepatternsforeachofthelanguagegroups.Thesepatternsexplainsomeofthedifferencesbetweenlanguagegroupsinthemedia-basedsourcesofinformationevidentfromthisquestion.
Differencesofmorethan20%betweentwolanguagegroupsaresignificant.Thesehavenotbeensystematicallyhighlightedduetothelargediversityinresponsesprovidedtothisquestion.Instead,somegroups’responsesstronglydifferenttothetrendarehighlighted.Someofthesignificantdifferencesare:
Vietnamese-speakersarelesslikelytousetelevisionthanallothergroups.
ChineseandVietnamese-speakersaremorelikelytousenewspapersthanMacedonianandSpanish-speakers.
Vietnamese-speakersaremorelikelytouseradiothanmostothergroups(exceptGreek-speakers).
Korean-speakersaremorelikelytousemagazinesthanmostothergroups(exceptChinese-speakers),andlesslikelytouseradiothanmostothergroups.
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n
TABLE 9
Main sources of information, by language: NESB 2004
Ara
bic
Chi
nese
Gre
ek
Ital
ian
Ko
rean
Mac
edo
nian
Sp
anis
h
Vie
tnam
ese
Tota
l
Percent (%)
Television 74 55 60 57 60 71 77 �� 60
Newspapers 38 �� 45 42 39 37 27 �� 44
Radio 20 20 36 13 � 31 14 �0 24
Brochures–Government 8 14 3 4 10 16 14 6 9
Magazines 6 13 5 2 �� 3 5 2 8
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.4InformationSources
Main language for informationWherearespondentidentifiedasourceofinformation(eithermainsourceorpreferredsource)theywerethenaskedwhetherthiswasinEnglish,orlanguageotherthanEnglish(LOTE),orboth.
Althoughtelevisionisthemainsourceinformationabouttheenvironment(Figure24)thereisthelowestaccesstoLOTEfromthissourceofallthemainmediaformsforrespondentsinthissurvey.Forthosewhonominatedanyofthethreemainmediasourcesasapreferredsource,astrongpreferenceformediainformationtobedeliveredintheirownlanguage(onitsownorwithEnglish)emerged(Figure26).Thisresultisnotsolelybasedonneed(i.e.notbeingabletouseEnglish)butalsoindicatesapreferencebybilingualrespondentsforinformationinLOTE.ThispreferenceindicatesdemandforLOTEisathigherlevelsthaniscurrentlybeingdelivered:
% access LOTE from current main source of environmental information
% prefer LOTE from preferred information source
Radio 70 81
Newspapers 62 72
Television 39 64
Brochures–Government 39 60
Environmentalgroupbrochures 24 63
39%ofrespondentshadreceivedgovernmentinformationintheirlanguage,althoughalmosttwothirds(60%)ofthosewhopreferredthisinformationsourcealsopreferredtoreceivegovernmentinformationinlanguagesotherthanEnglish.Similarly,whileonlyaquarterofrespondents(24%)hadreceivedbrochuresfromenvironmentalgroupsinanotherlanguage,63%wouldprefertoreceivethisbrochureinformationintheirownlanguage.
FIGURE 26
Language of main and preferred environmental information sources: NESB 2004
Percentage of respondents
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Both English and LOTELOTEEnglish
30
19
38
28
62
37
62
40
76
38
41
51
31
37
8
20
9
27
6
27
29
30
31
35
31
44
30
33
18
36Preferred - Brochures - Environment Groups (n=45)
Main - Brochures - Environment Groups (n=33)
Preferred - Brochures - Government (n=96)
Main - Brochures - Government (n=75)
Preferred - Television (n=382)
Main - Television (n=485)
Preferred - Newspapers (n=238)
Main - Newspapers (n=350)
Preferred - Radio (n=162)
Main - Radio (n=188)
Note: This question was asked only of respondents indicating the information source as either a main or a preferred source. Caution should be used in interpreting this data, given the large variation in sample sizes for each information format. The sample sizes relating to the various information channels are too small for demographic or language group comparison.Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.
�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.4InformationSources
Reliability of environmental information sources
Question: I will read you a list of people or organisations from the community who may provide us with information on issues relating to the environment. In general, how reliable do you think information from each of these sources would be?
Would you say information would be very reliable, fairly reliable, fairly unreliable or very unreliable?
Respondentswerethengivenalistoffourteenpossiblesourcesofenvironmentalinformation(Figure27).Theorderinwhichsourceswerereadoutwasdifferentforeachrespondent.
Theinformationsourcesthatapproximatelyeightoutoftenpeopleconsiderreliable(veryorfairlyreliable)areshownbelow.Environmentalgroups,scientistsandschoolsareconsideredveryreliablebyapproximatelyhalfofallrespondents:
Environmentalgroups 86%
Scientists 83%
Schools 81%
Othermembersofthecommunity 81%
Localcouncils 79%
Thesesourcesrepresentacombinationofbothinformal‘word-of-mouth’sourcesandclearexpertsinthefield.Neitherschoolsnorothermembersofthecommunitywerespontaneouslymentioned,unprompted,aseitherpreferredormainsourcesofinformation(inthepreviousquestion),howevertheywereconsideredsomeofthemostreliableofthesourcesinthispromptedquestion.
“I like green groups and environmental scientists where there is no conflict of interest.” [Greek]
“My granddaughter was very angry at me because she saw me tipping oil from a saucepan down the plughole.” [Spanish]
Sourcesofinformationthatareconsideredunreliablebythemostrespondentswerebusiness&industry(46%),mediapersonalities(34%)andreligiousleaders(25%).
Morethanoneintenrespondentswereunabletosaywhetherbilingualeducatorswerereliablesourcesofinformation,indicatingalackofawarenessofsuchservices.Table10suggeststhatthisisparticularlythecaseforItalianandMacedonian-speakingrespondents,whoweresignificantlymorelikelythantheotherlanguagegroupsnottobeabletocommentonthereliabilityofbilingualeducators.
ThereweresignificantdifferencesintheperceivedreliabilityofsourcesbetweentheNESB2004 studyandtheWho Cares? 2003study.WhiletheresultsarenotdirectlycomparablewithWho Cares? 2003asthatsurveydidnotincludeanotapplicablecategoryandothercategorieswereslightlydifferent,thoseinformationsourcesthatwereconsideredmorereliableintheNESB 2004studythantheWho Cares? 2003studywere:
NESB 2004 Who Cares? 2003
Othercommunitymembers 83% 68%
Localcouncils 79% 71%
Governmentdepartments 74% 64%
Religiousleaders 63% 47%
Mediapersonalities 62% 37%
Businessandindustry 46% 37%
ThoseinformationsourcesthatwereconsideredlessreliableintheNESB 2004studythantheWho Cares? 2003studywerescientists(83%concideredthissourcedreliablecomparedto90%inWho Cares? 2003)andcommunityservicegroups(74%comparedto84%).
n
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n
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.4InformationSources
FIGURE 27
Reliability of environmental information sources: NESB 2004
Percentage of respondents NESB 2004 n = 805
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Business/industry
Media personalities
Religious leaders
Bilingual educators
Government departments
Community service groups
Local councils
Other members of community
Scientists
Environment groups
Schools
Children
86
83
81
81
79
74
74
71
68
63
62
46
Not applicableNot reliableHard to sayReliable
5 8 1
6 10 2
6 7 6
3 13 3
4 16 1
9 14 3
3 22 1
3 7 19
11 16 6
6 25 6
4 34 1
6 46 2
FIGURE 28
Reliability of environmental information sources: Who Cares? 2003
Percentage of respondents Who Cares? 2003 n = 1,421
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Business/industry
Media personalities
Religious leaders, churches
Government departments
Friends and family
The United Nations
Local councils
Community service groups
Schools
Local environment organisations
National environment organisations
Scientists/technical experts 90
89
87
85
84
71
71
68
64
47
37
37
3
3
2
3
3
1
6
3
3
5
3
3
7
9
11
12
13
28
23
29
34
48
60
60
Not reliableHard to sayReliable
Note: Totals for both graphs may not equal 100% due to rounding.
�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.4InformationSources
Reliability of environmental information from various sources
Language findingsTherangeofresponsesregardingthereliabilityofinformationsourcesvariedconsiderablyacrosslanguagegroups(Table10).Differencesofmorethan20%betweentwolanguagegroupsaresignificant.Thesehavenotbeensystematicallyhighlightedduetothelargediversityinresponsesinthisquestion.Insteadsomegroups’responseswhicharestronglydifferenttothetrendforthespecificsourcearehighlightedbelow.
TABLE 10
Reliability of environmental information sources, by language: NESB 2004
Ara
bic
Chi
nese
Gre
ek
Ital
ian
Ko
rean
Mac
edo
nian
Sp
anis
h
Vie
tnam
ese
Tota
l
Percent (%)
Environmentalgroups Reliable 89 92 90 �� 97 75 95 85 86
Hardtosay 4 3 6 11 0 14 0 4 5
Unreliable 6 4 3 �� 3 11 5 9 8
Scientistsandtechnicalexperts Reliable 84 91 91 �� 89 82 94 77 83
Hardtosay 6 6 3 14 1 6 0 8 6
Unreliable 10 2 6 �� 9 11 4 12 10
Schools Reliable 85 84 88 �� 89 86 89 82 81
Hardtosay 6 11 4 9 3 6 5 3 6
Unreliable 7 2 6 14 7 3 4 10 7
Family,friendsandneighbours Reliable 78 73 84 78 88 71 93 80 81
Hardtosay 1 7 2 3 2 10 0 2 3
Unreliable 20 15 12 15 9 17 6 13 13
Localcouncils Reliable 82 92 75 �� 91 69 84 82 79
Hardtosay 3 4 2 10 2 6 2 4 4
Unreliable 15 2 22 �� 7 24 14 11 16
Governmentdepartments Reliable 86 95 64 �� 88 �� 83 83 74
Hardtosay 1 1 4 7 1 6 3 2 3
Unreliable 13 3 31 �� 11 �� 14 11 22
Ethniccommunitygroups Reliable 70 78 78 59 85 63 87 71 74
Hardtosay 11 7 10 13 3 21 2 6 9
Unreliable 17 14 11 23 11 14 8 17 14
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) ��
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.4InformationSources
TABLE 10
Reliability of environmental information sources, by language: NESB 2004 (cont)
Ara
bic
Chi
nese
Gre
ek
Ital
ian
Ko
rean
Mac
edo
nian
Sp
anis
h
Vie
tnam
ese
Tota
l
Percent (%)
Children Reliable 68 �� 82 69 76 65 83 77 71
Hardtosay 2 10 3 3 0 4 0 1 3
Unreliable 8 14 7 9 7 4 4 6 7
Bilingualeducators Reliable 74 60 82 �� 83 �� 88 72 68
Hardtosay 9 16 3 22 4 30 2 5 11
Unreliable 17 18 14 �0 10 7 9 21 16
Religiousleaders Reliable 74 �� 67 64 79 �� 65 58 63
Hardtosay 3 14 3 4 2 7 6 8 6
Unreliable 21 25 27 27 15 42 23 24 25
Mediapersonalities Reliable 69 51 60 41 64 51 �� 71 62
Hardtosay 3 5 2 4 1 5 1 7 4
Unreliable 27 38 38 55 34 44 �� 21 34
Businessandindustry Reliable 55 41 45 41 52 34 �� 23 46
Hardtosay 5 10 9 11 3 6 1 6 6
Unreliable 41 46 45 44 44 60 �� 66 46
�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.4InformationSources
Demographic findings
Age and gender
Femalesweremorelikelythanmalestobelievetheirchildrenarereliablesourcesofenvironmentalinformation(75%,comparedto65%).
Maleswerelesslikelythanfemalestonominatereligiousleadersasreliablesourcesonissuesrelatingtotheenvironment(56%,comparedto68%).
Respondentsover55yearsweremorelikelythanotheragegroupstoconsidertheirchildrenasreliablesourcesofenvironmentalinformation:
18-34 41%
35-54 80%
55+ 83%
Education
Althoughnotsignificant,thosewithhighereducationweremorelikelytoidentifylocalcouncilsasveryreliablesourcesofenvironmentalinformation:
Didnotcompletehighschool 27%
Completedhighschool 38%
Tertiaryeducated 43%
Thebeliefthatone’schildrenarereliablesourcesofenvironmentalinformationdecreasedaslevelofeducationincreased:
Didnotcompletehighschool 83%
Completedhighschool 68%
Tertiary 64%
Thebeliefthatscientistsandtechnicalspecialistsareveryreliablesourcesonissuesrelatingtoenvironmentincreasedwithlevelofeducation:
Didnotcompletehighschool 38%
Completedhighschool 55%
Tertiary 59%
Thosewhodidnotcompletehighschoolwerelesslikelytobelievethatgovernmentdepartmentsoragenciesareveryreliablesourcesofenvironmentalinformation:
Didnotcompletehighschool 26%
Completedhighschool 35%
Tertiary 41%
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n
◆
◆
◆
n
◆
◆
◆
n
◆
◆
◆
n
◆
◆
◆
n
◆
◆
◆
Beliefinenvironmentalandconservationgroupsasveryreliablesourcesofenvironmentalinformationincreasedwitheducation:
Didnotcompletehighschool 43%
Completedhighschool 59%
Tertiary 63%
Length of residence
RespondentsbornoverseasweremorelikelytonominatelocalcouncilsasaveryreliablesourceofenvironmentalinformationthanthoseborninAustralia(39%,comparedto22%).
ThoseborninAustraliawerelesslikelytonominateschoolsasveryreliablesourcesofenvironmentalinformation(33%),comparedtorespondentswhowerebornoverseas(52%).
RespondentsborninAustraliawerelesslikelythanrespondentsbornoverseastobelievetheirchildrenarereliablesourcesofenvironmentalinformation(38%,comparedto75%).
RespondentsbornoverseaswerelesslikelythanrespondentsborninAustraliatonominatereligiousleadersasunreliablesourcesonissuesrelatingtoenvironment(24%,comparedto40%).
ThoseborninAustraliawerelesslikelytonominatemediapersonalitiesasreliablesourcesofenvironmentalinformation(47%,comparedto64%).
English language proficiency
RespondentswithEnglishlanguagedifficulties(80%)weremorelikelythanrespondentswhowerefluentinEnglish(60%)tonominatetheirchildrenasreliablesourcesofenvironmentalinformation.
RespondentswhowerefluentinEnglishweremorelikelytobelievereligiousleadersareunreliablesourcesonissuesrelatingtoenvironmentthanthosewhoexperiencedsomedifficultywithEnglish(31%,comparedto21%).
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◆
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n
n
n
n
n
n
RespondentswithEnglishlanguagedifficultieswerelesslikelytonominatemediapersonalitiesasunreliablethanrespondentswhowerefluentinEnglish(29%,comparedto39%).
n
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) ��
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.4InformationSources
Summary: Information sourcesMostpeopleusenewspapersandtelevisionastheirmainsourceofenvironmentalinformation.ForsixintenrespondentsthisinformationisprovidedeitherintheirownlanguageorinbothEnglishandtheirownlanguageinnewspapersbutonlyfourintenontelevision.Forradiothisfigureisseveninten.Thepreferenceforradioornewspaperasapreferredmediumacrossthevariouslanguagegroupsisgenerallyrelatedtotheavailablemediainthevariouslanguagecommunities.
Forbothnewspapersandradiothereisastrongpreferenceforinformationtobeprovidedinpeople’sownlanguage,andthispreferenceisparticularlymarkedinradio.ForallinformationmediumsthereisastrongdesireforinformationtobeprovidedinbothEnglishandtheirownlanguage.
LackofEnglishlanguageisnotthesolereasonforpreferringLOTEinformation.BilingualpeoplealsopreferLOTEinformationalongsideEnglishinformation.
Morethaneightintenrespondentsfromtheseethniccommunitiesconsiderchildren,schools,environmentalgroups,scientistsortechnicalexpertsorothermembersofthecommunityasreliablesourcesofinformationaboutenvironmentalissues.Thesesourcesrepresentacombinationofbothinformalword-of-mouthsourcesandclearexpertsinthearea.
Businessandindustry,religiousleadersandmediapersonalitieswereconsideredtheleastreliableofallinformationsources.
�0 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.5Media
3.5 MEDIA
Television (English and LOTE)
Question: If you watch TV, what TV station do you watch the most often? (Single response)
AmajorityofrespondentswatchedacommercialEnglishlanguagetelevisionstationmorethananyotherstation(56%).ThiswasirrespectiveoftheirEnglishlanguageproficiency,as51%ofallrespondentswithpoorEnglishlanguageproficiencywatchacommercialchannelmorethananyother.OneintenrespondentswatchedtheABCmorethananyotherchannel.
OneinfiverespondentsviewedtelevisionintheirownlanguagemoreoftenthanEnglishlanguagetelevision.SBSwasviewedmostoftenby16%ofrespondents,andafurther5%watchanotherlanguageotherthanEnglishstationmostoften.
Veryfewrespondentsdidnotwatchtelevisionatall(4%).
FIGURE 29
Television (English and LOTE): NESB 2004
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Other
Do not watch television
Pay television
Other LOTE television
SBS
Commercial stations
ABC
Percentage of respondents
9
56
16
5
6
4
4
NESB 2004 n = 805
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) ��
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.5Media
Television
Language findingsSpanish-speakingrespondentsweremorelikelythantheKoreanorVietnameserespondentstowatchaLOTEstationmorethananEnglishlanguagestation.
TheVietnamese-speakerswerethemostlikelytoviewacommercialstationmorethananyotherstation.
TABLE 11
Television, by language: NESB 2004
Ara
bic
Chi
nese
Gre
ek
Ital
ian
Ko
rean
Mac
edo
nian
Sp
anis
h
Vie
tnam
ese
Tota
l
Percent (%)
ABC 7 9 8 9 16 7 11 4 9
Commercialstations �� 59 �� �� 60 61 �� �� 56
SBS � 16 22 18 � 20 �0 � 16
TARBS* 13 0 3 2 0 2 7 0 4
TVB 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Total LOTE television 22 21 25 20 � 22 �� � 21
Paytelevision 18 0 11 7 3 6 6 0 6
Other 0 8 8 7 6 1 1 1 4
Donotwatchtelevision 4 2 3 4 6 2 1 12 4
Key: Language group highlighted with is significantly more likely to nominate television station than language group
highlighted with .* TARBS, a multilingual television broadcaster, ceased operations between fieldwork completion and the writing of this report.
Note: Figure for LOTE might be higher because the data does not show whether pay television viewed is in English or languages other than English.
Demographic findings Age and gender
Peoplewhowereover55yearswerelesslikelytowatchcommercialstationsthanotheragegroups:
18-34 66%
35-54 58%
55+ 45%
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�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.5Media
Radio (English and LOTE)
Question: If you listen to radio, what station do you listen to the most often? (Single response)
Onethirdofrespondentslistentoradiostationsbroadcastingintheirownlanguagemorethananyotherstation.Almostthesameproportion(31%)listentoEnglishlanguageradiomostregularly,with23%tuningintoacommercialstationand8%listeningtoABCradio.
Almostoneinfiverespondents(19%)donotlistentoradio.
Therewereseveraldifferencesbylanguagegroupanddemographicprofileinrelationtoradioconsumptionhabits,andthesearehighlightedinTable12.
ThehigheruseofLOTEradiothanLOTEtelevisionismostlikelyareflectionofthemorelimitedtelevisionbroadcastinginotherlanguagescomparedtoradio.
FIGURE 30
Radio (English and LOTE): NESB 2004
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Percentage of respondents
8
23
33
11
7
19
NESB 2004 n = 805
Do not listen to radio
Don't know
Other
LOTE radio
English commercial radio
ABC radio
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
Heading
DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) ��
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.5Media
Radio
Language findingsGreek,MacedonianandVietnamese-speakersweremorelikelythanChineseandKorean-speakerstolistentoaLOTEstationmorethananEnglishlanguageradiostation.
MorethanfourintenKorean-speakersdidnotlistentoradio.
n
n
TABLE 12
Radio, by language: NESB 2004
Ara
bic
Chi
nese
Gre
ek
Ital
ian
Ko
rean
Mac
edo
nian
Sp
anis
h
Vie
tnam
ese
Tota
l
Percent (%)
ABCradio 5 6 6 8 13 3 17 4 8
Englishcommercialradio 27 34 25 23 19 27 15 17 23
LOTE radio �� �� �0 �� �0 �� �� �� ��
Other 12 10 13 12 9 13 14 2 11
Don'tknow 12 8 8 13 8 3 0 2 7
Donotlistentoradio � 27 � �� �� �� 26 �� 19
Key: Language group highlighted with is significantly more likely to nominate a radio station than language group
highlighted with .
Demographic findingsAge and gender
Respondentsover55yearswerelesslikelytolistentoEnglishcommercialradio:
18-34 36%
35-54 28%
55+ 9%
YoungerrespondentswerelesslikelytolistentoLOTEradio:
18-34 18%
35-54 28%
55+ 52%
Length of residence
RespondentsborninAustralia(56%)weremorelikelytolistentoEnglishcommercialradiothanrespondentsbornoverseas(19%).
ThosebornoverseasweremorelikelytolistentoLOTEradiothanrespondentsborninAustralia(37%,comparedto4%).
n
◆
◆
◆
n
◆
◆
◆
n
n
English language proficiency
RespondentsfluentinEnglishweremorelikelytolistentoEnglishcommercialradiothanrespondentswithEnglishlanguagedifficulties(36%,comparedto13%).
RespondentswithEnglishlanguagedifficulties(45%)weremorelikelytolistentoLOTEradiothanrespondentsfluentinEnglish(18%).
Education
ThosewhodidnotcompletehighschoolwerelesslikelytolistentoEnglishcommercialradio:
Didnotcompletehighschool 13%
Completedhighschool 22%
Tertiary 32%
ThosewhodidnotcompletehighschoolweremorelikelytolistentoLOTEradio:
Didnotcompletehighschool 51%
Completedhighschool 39%
Tertiary 17%
n
n
n
◆
◆
◆
n
◆
◆
◆
�� DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
3.5Media
Newspapers (English and LOTE)
Question: If you read newspapers, what paper do you read the most often? (Single response)
SimilarlytoLOTEradio,justoveronethirdofrespondentsreadaLOTEnewspapermorethananyothertitle(34%).
AlmosthalfreadEnglishlanguagenewspapersmostregularly(48%),withoneintenreadingtheirlocalEnglishlanguagenewspapermorethananyothertitle.Almostoneintenrespondents(9%)donotreadnewspapersatall.
Therewereseveraldifferencesbylanguagegroupanddemographicprofileinrelationtonewspaperreadership,andthesearehighlightedinTable13.
FIGURE 31
Newspapers (English and LOTE): NESB 2004
Percentage of respondents
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50Do not read newspapers
Don't know
Other
LOTE newspaper
Local English newspaper
The Australian/Financial Review
Daily/Sunday Telegraph
Sydney Morning/Sun Herald 20
16
1
10
34
7
3
9
NESB 2004 n = 805
Newspapers
Language findingsChineseandVietnamese-speakerswerelesslikelytoreadEnglish-languagenewspapers,andmorelikelytoreadLOTEnewspapersthanmostotherlanguagegroupsinthesample.Thisismostlikelyareflectionofthelargenumberofownlanguagenewspapertitlesavailableinbothofthesecommunities.
Spanish-speakersweremorelikelytoreadEnglishlanguagenewspapersthanothergroups.
n
n
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) ��
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
3.5Media
TABLE 13
Newspapers, by language: NESB 2004
Ara
bic
Chi
nese
Gre
ek
Ital
ian
Ko
rean
Mac
edo
nian
Sp
anis
h
Vie
tnam
ese
Tota
l
Percent (%)
Englishnewspaper 41 �� �� 40 46 �� �� �� 38
LocalEnglishnewspaper 15 2 1 13 13 11 16 9 10
LOTE newspaper �� �0 �� �� �� �� �� �� ��
Other 1 6 7 6 8 17 7 2 7
Don'tknow 11 3 4 4 1 1 0 0 3
Donotreadnewspapers 18 3 9 10 8 10 4 12 9
Key: Language group highlighted with is significantly more likely to nominate newspaper title than language group
highlighted with .
Demographic findingsAge and gender
YoungerrespondentsweremorelikelytoreadEnglishlanguagenewspapersthanotheragegroups:
18-34 54%
35-54 38%
55+ 32%
OlderrespondentsweremostlikelytoreadLOTEnewspapers:
18-34 19%
35-54 32%
55+ 46%
English language proficiency
RespondentsfluentinEnglishweremorelikelythanthosebornoverseastoreadEnglishlanguagenewspapers(56%,comparedto22%).
RespondentswithEnglishlanguagedifficultiesweremorelikelytoreadLOTEnewspapersthanrespondentswhowerefluentinEnglish(50%,comparedto14%).
n
◆
◆
◆
n
◆
◆
◆
n
n
Education
RespondentswithtertiaryeducationweremostlikelytoreadEnglishlanguagenewspapers:
Didnotcompletehighschool 20%
Completedhighschool 33%
Tertiary 54%
ThosewhodidnotcompletehighschoolweremostlikelytoreadLOTEnewspapers:
Didnotcompletehighschool 46%
Completedhighschool 41%
Tertiary 20%
Thosewhodidnotcompletehighschoolweremostlikelynottoreadnewspapers:
Didnotcompletehighschool 16%
Completedhighschool 9%
Tertiary 5%
Length of residence
ThoseborninAustraliaweremorelikelytoreadEnglishlanguagenewspapers(69%)thanthosebornoverseas(34%).
OnlyrespondentsbornoverseasreadLOTEnewspapers(38%).
n
◆
◆
◆
n
◆
◆
◆
n
◆
◆
◆
n
n
Page iv Priorities and values, paragraph 2: Environment should be noted as ranked eighth overall.
Page 21 Paragraph 2:
...62% of respondents considered water issues to be the most important (up significantly from 40% in 1996) and 30% believed air issues are the most important.
Page 24 Most important environmental issues, Language findings: Spanish respondents were more likely than the total sample to nominate water conservation
(83%, compared to 47%). Korean (28%), Chinese (25% and Arabic (25%) respondents were less likely to nominate water
conservation (compared to 47% in the total sample . Arabic-speaking respondants were significantly more likely to nominate water pollution than the
other language groups (24% compared to 11%).
Page 28 Paragraph 2: Environment should be noted as ranked eighth overall.
Page 80 Italian profile, Distribution in NSW: Outside Sydney SD 18%
Page 84 Korean profile, Single most important environmental issue: Water conservation 22%
Page 89 Macedonian profile, Environmentally friendly behaviours: Participated in a local development or environmental issue 5%
Page 98 Vietnamese profile, Radio station: Main LOTE station nominated: SBS Radio (55%, the highest figure for any radio station for
any community)
Other stations nominated were: 2VNR, Vietnam Sydney Radio (2SER 107.3)
Errata
Text underlined has been revised, November 2005.
Please note: The individual community profiles on the web at www.environment.nsw.gov.au/whocares/ethniccom.htmare accurate and reflect these revisions as of 11 November 2005.
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW)
66 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
Thissectionpresentsaprofileforeachofthelanguagegroupsincludedinthestudy,underthefollowingheadings:
Demographic profile:takenfromAustralianBureauofStatistics2001censusdata.
Environmental profile:keyfindingsfromtheresearchregardingenvironmentalattitudes,values,knowledgeandbehaviour.
Media profile: keyfindingsfromtheresearchregardingmediaconsumptionpatterns.
Anysignificantdifferencesbetweentheresultsfortheindividuallanguagegroupandthetotalsamplehavebeenhighlighted.Differencesof 13betweenalanguagegroupandthetotalsample(ofallcommunitiescombined)arestatisticallysignificant.
IninterpretingtheseprofilesitshouldbenotedthatTARBS,amultilingualtelevisionbroadcaster,ceasedoperationsbetweenfieldworkcompletionandthewritingofthisreport.
The following eight community profiles can also be found as separate downloadable 5 page booklets in pdf format on the web at: www.environment.nsw.gov.au/whocares/ethniccom.htm
Each booklet includes a general introduction to the research and the full profile details, with the environmental and media profile details presented as graphs.
■
■
■
4.CommunityProfiles
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
4.CommunityProfiles–Arabic
ArabicArabic-speakersmakeupthesecondlargestlanguagegroupinNSWbehindChinese-speakers.ThereisasizeablesecondandsubsequentgenerationwithjustunderhalfofallArabic-speakersborninAustralia.BankstownlocalgovernmentareahasthelargestpopulationofArabic-speakerswith18%ofthoseinNSW.
TherearesomedifferencesbetweentheprofileofArabicspeakersinthissamplecomparedtothegeneralArabicpopulationinNSW.Inthissamplethereweremorefemales(57%comparedto48%)and,becausechildrenunder18werenotinterviewed,asmallerproportionwasborninAustralia(20%comparedto44%inNSW).However,theproportionborninAustraliawashighcomparedtosomeotherlanguagegroupsinthestudy(fourgroupswereabout20%Australianbornandfourhadlessthan5%).
Arabic-speakersweresimilartothetotalsampleintheirratingoftheenvironmentcomparedwithotherissuesforgovernmentandinhowimportanttheenvironmentistotheirlives.However,nearlysixintenArabicspeakersareconcernedagreatdealaboutenvironmentalproblems(comparedtojustoverfourintenforthetotalsample).Theiroveralllevelofconcernwasalsohigherthanthewholegroupandhigherthantheirconcernintheprevioussurvey(94%concernedin2004comparedto88%in1996).ForoveronethirdofArabic-speakersthisconcernisforfuturegenerations.
Asin1996,thesinglemostimportantenvironmentalissueforArabic-speakerswaspollution,mentionedmorefrequentlythanthetotalsample.WaterconservationwasthesecondmostmentionedissuebutArabic-speakerswerelesslikelythanthetotalsampletomentionthisissue.In1996theirmostimportantenvironmentalissueswereairpollution,pollutionofbeachesandoceans,andtransportand/orstorageofchemicals.
Inenvironmentalknowledgequestions,Arabic-speakerswereslightlymorelikelythantheaveragetoknowthatmorewaterisusedforagriculturethanfordomesticandmanufacturingusescombinedandmuchlesslikelytoknowthatmostbackyardspidersarenotdangerous.
MoreArabic-speakersoftentookactivestepstopreventstormwaterpollution,recycledmaterialsatworkorparticipatedinlocalenvironmentalissuesthanthetotalsamplebutArabic-speakersweresignificantlylesslikelytocompostthanothergroupsincludedinthesample.
Friendlypeoplewasthemostimportantfeatureofagoodplacetolive,citedby40%ofArabic-speakers,amuchhigherlevelthanthetotalsample.Liketheothergroupsinthesample,security,lowcrimeandsafetywerealsoimportanttoArabic-speakers.
MoreArabic-speakersconsideredmostsourcesofinformationabouttheenvironmentveryreliablethanthetotalsamplebuttheyweresignificantlymorelikelytoclassifylocalcouncils,environmentandconservationgroupsandreligiousleadersthisway.Theywerelesslikely,however,toperceivetheirchildrenasreliableconduitsforthistypeofinformation.
Arabic-speakerspreferredelectronicmedia(radioandtelevision)tonewspapers,andonly15%ofthesampleindicatedanArabic-languagenewspaperasthemainnewspaperread.El Telegraphhadthelargestreadership.
AlmostoneinfiveArabic-speakerswatchPayTVmostoften.ItislikelythatasizeableproportionoftheseviewerstunedinTARBSandanOptusVisionchannelcalledART,bothwithasizeableArabic-languageprogramoffering.TheaudienceofSBSwassmallincomparison.
OverathirdofallArabic-speakersinthesamplenominatedanArabic-languageradiostationasthemainstationlistenedto,with2MEhavingthehighestaudience.
Arabic-speakerswerealsomorelikelytonominatetelevisionasthepreferredsourceofinformationaboutenvironmentalissues.
68 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Arabic
Demographic ProfileSizeoflanguagegroupinNSW 145,620representing13%ofallnon-EnglishspeakersinNSW.
Maincountriesofbirth AustraliaLebanonEgyptIraqSyriaSudan
44%33%6%4%2%2%
DistributioninNSW SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
98%2%
Genderprofile MaleFemale
52%48%
LocalGovernmentAreasinNSWwithlargestpopulation(morethan5,000persons)
Local Government Area
BankstownCanterburyParramattaLiverpoolHolroydFairfieldBlacktownRockdale
# persons
26,71918,81914,4209,7859,1458,7947,3397,319
% of LGA
16%15%10%6%
11%5%3%8%
SpokenEnglishcompetenceinNSW Thosewhospeaknotwellornotatall 23,034 16%
Migrationhistory ThemigrationofArabicspeakerstoAustraliadatesfromthe1880swhensmallnumbersofLebanesebeganarriving.ThesecondwavefollowedWorldWarII,withsustainedintakefromLebanonincreasingrapidlyinthemid1960sandmid1970s.TheLebanesecivilwarcausedafurtherwaveofmigrationinthemid1980sandearly1990s.TheGulfWarthencausedawaveofmigrationfromIraqwhileLebanesemigrationdeclined.
MiddleEasternandNorthAfricanmigrationsincethistimehaveresultedincontinuingarrivalofArabic-speakerstoAustraliaand,inparticular,NSW.
Environmental Profile Arabic Sample
Total NESB Sample
Ranking of environmental issues compared to other issues
Note:Environmentincludeswaterconservation
Rank3(13%) Rank3(18%)
Percentage who rated environment as very important to their life 70% 71%
Level of concern about the environment
AgreatdealAfairamountNotverymuch/notatall
58%36%6%
42%40%17%
Reasons for concern
ConcernforfuturegenerationsHealtheffectsofpollutionQualityoflife
36%22%19%
31%22%23%
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) 69
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
4.CommunityProfiles–Arabic
Environmental Profile Arabic Sample
Total NESB Sample
Single most important environmental issue
Pollution(general)WaterconservationWaterpollutionTherearenoenvironmentalissues
25%21%13%7%
14%35%
6%3%
Environmentally friendly behaviours cited as engaged in often
MadeanefforttoreducewaterconsumptionTakenactivestepstopreventstormwaterpollutionRecycledpaperand/orothermaterialsatworkTakenactivestepstoreduceenergyconsumptionDecidedtoreusesomethinginsteadofthrowingitawayPurchasedenergyefficientappliancesorlightglobesChosenhouseholdproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironmentTakenactivestepstoreducefuelconsumptionandvehicleemissionsAvoidedproductswithlotsofpackagingAvoidedplasticbagstocarryshoppinghomeTriedtogetinformationaboutprotectingtheenvironmentCompostedfoodand/orgardenrefuseParticipatedinlocaldevelopmentorenvironmentalissues
73%72%65%61%50%44%39%34%31%26%26%13%12%
77%64%59%67%54%47%41%37%34%33%19%26%
6%
Sources of information on environment classified as very reliable
EnvironmentandconservationgroupsLocalcouncilsGovernmentdepartmentsoragenciesReligiousleadersCommunityservicegroupssuchasMigrantResourceCentresBilingualeducatorsYourchildrenBusiness/industry
69%52%46%42%39%34%33%21%
56%37%35%26%30%32%45%11%
Outdoor spaces around the home
Housewithlawnand/orgardensFlatwithbalconyCourtyardstylegarden/mainlypavedexteriorareasFlatwithnobalconyRuralblockofland
64%13%12%5%3%
59%15%18%
5%3%
Features of a good place to live
FriendlypeopleSecure/lowcrime/safetyClosetoshopsandschoolsCleanairClosetotransportLeafy,green,tree-linedstreetsParksforkidstoplay
40%35%15%12%8%6%6%
24%33%21%14%14%
9%7%
70 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Arabic
Media Profile Arabic Sample
Total NESB Sample
Television stations viewed most often
CommercialPaytelevisionOtherLOTEtelevisionSBSABCDonotwatchtelevisionOther/don’tknow
48%18%13%9%7%4%0%
56%6%5%
16%9%4%4%
Radio station listened to most often
LOTEradioEnglishcommercialradioOther/don’tknowDonotlistentoradioABCRadio
36%27%24%9%5%
33%23%18%19%8%
MainArabicstationnominated:2MEOtherstationsnominatedwere:MuslimFM,RadioLebanon,SBSRadio&VoiceofIslam
Newspaper read most often
Daily/SundayTelegraphSydneyMorning/SunHeraldDonotreadnewspapersLocalEnglishnewspaperLOTEnewspapersOther/don’tknowTheAustralian/FinancialReview
22%18%18%15%15%12%1%
16%20%9%
10%34%10%1%
MainArabictitlenominated:El TelegraphOthertitlesnominatedwere:AnNahar,Future&MiddleEastHerald
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) 71
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
4.CommunityProfiles–Chinese
ChineseChinese-speakersmakeupthelargestlanguagegroupinNSW.ThemajorityofChinese-speakersarefirstgenerationimmigrantswithonlyasmallproportion(16%)borninAustralia.However,therearesomedifferencesbetweentheprofileofChinesespeakersinthisstudycomparedtothegeneralNSWChinesepopulationandcomparedtothetotalstudysample(seeAppendixA).Inthissamplethereweremorefemales(66%comparedto52%inNSW).Aschildrenunder18werenotinterviewed,asmallerproportionofthesamplewasborninAustralia(4%comparedto16%)andthiswaslowcomparedtoanumberofotherlanguagegroupsinthestudy(fourgroupswereabout20%Australianbornandfourhadlessthan5%).TheChinesespeakerswerealsosignificantlymorelikelytobeuniversityeducatedthanmostothergroups(51%comparedtoaverageof30%).
Chinese-speakersweresimilartothetotalsampleintermsoftheimportanceoftheenvironmenttotheirlivesbuttheyweremoreconcernedoverallaboutenvironmentalproblems,andthisconcernhasincreasedsince1996(89%,comparedwith81%).Themostfrequentlymentionedreasonfortheirconcernwasqualityoflife,significantlyhigherthanthetotalsample,whiletheynominatedconcernforfuturegenerationsmuchlessoftenthanthetotalsample.However,fewerChinese-speakersthanthetotalsampleratedtheenvironmentasimportantcomparedtootherissuesforgovernmentattention.Chinese-speakerswerealsosignificantlylesslikelythanothergroupstoconsiderreligiontobeimportantintheirlives.
Althoughwaterconservationwasthemostfrequentlymentionedenvironmentalissue,thiswasatasignificantlylowerlevelthanforthewholegroup.ThemostimportantissueforChinese-speakersin1996,airpollution,isnowsecondinimportance.Chinese-speakersweremorelikelytorespondthattheydidnotknowofanimportantenvironmentalissue,butthishasdroppedfrom34%in1996to21%in2004.
Inenvironmentalknowledgequestions,moreChinese-speakersthananyothergroupknewthatthegreenhouseeffectisnotcausedbyaholeintheEarth’satmosphere.Theywerealsomuchmorelikelythantheaveragetoknowthatnativebirdsandanimalscansurviveincitiesandtownswithoutfeedingbypeople.However,theywerelesslikelytoknowthatover90%ofNSW’selectricitycomesfromburningcoal.
Chinese-speakerswereslightlymorelikelytosaytheyhaveoftenreducedenergyconsumptionandreusedsomethingandweresignificantlymorelikelytopurchaseenergyefficientappliancesorlightglobes.Chinese-speakerswerelesslikelytocompost,avoidstormwaterpollution,avoidproductswithlotsofpackaging,andtochoosehouseholdproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironment.
Chinese-speakersweremorelikelynottobeabletonominateanypersonallydamagingbehaviourstheyengagedin,with32%respondingthattheydidnotknowofanysuchenvironmentallydamagingbehaviours.
ForChinese-speakerssecurity,lowcrimeandsafetyfeaturedstronglyasthemostimportantcharacteristicofagoodplacetolive,withmorethantwo-thirdsnominatingthis,comparedtoonethirdofthetotalsample.Chinese-speakerswerelesslikelytonominatefriendlypeopleorclosetoshopsandtransportthanthetotalsample.
Chinese-speakersweremorelikelytonominatelocalcouncilsandgovernmentdepartmentsoragenciesasthemostreliablesourcesofinformationabouttheenvironment,butwerelesslikelytocitetheirchildren,religiousleadersorbilingualeducators.
Chinese-speakersweremorelikelytoaccesstelevisionandnewspapersthanradioastheirmainmediasource.ThemostpopularnewspaperwastheAustralian Chinese Daily.Chinese-speakerswerealsomorelikelytonominatenewspapersastheirpreferredinformationsourceaboutenvironmentalissues.
Forbothtelevisionandradio,commercialstationswereaccessedmoreoftenthanLOTEservices.Chinese-speakersshowednosignificantdifferenceintelevisionstationpreferencewhencomparedtotherestofthesample,howevertheywerelesslikelytolistentoLOTEradiothantherestofthesamplewithonly16%ofparticipantsaccessingthismedia.
72 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Chinese
Demographic ProfileSizeoflanguagegroupinNSW 201,667representing17%ofallnon-EnglishspeakersinNSW.
Maincountriesofbirth ChinaHongKongAustraliaVietnamMalaysiaCambodia
37%17%16%7%5%1%
DistributioninNSW SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
96%4%
Genderprofile MaleFemale
48%52%
LocalGovernmentAreasinNSWwithlargestpopulation(morethan5,000persons)
Local Government Area
FairfieldCanterburyParramattaHornsbyHurstvilleAuburnRydeRandwick
# persons
18,40814,33411,67510,17910,0019,5989,3698,694
% of LGA
10%11%8%7%
14%17%10%7%
SpokenEnglishcompetenceinNSW Thosewhospeaknotwellornotatall 108,318 27%
Migrationhistory ChinesemigrationtoAustraliawassignificantinthe19thCenturyandalmosttotallycurtailedduringtheperiodofthe“WhiteAustralia”policy,inthemid20thCentury.MorerecentChineseimmigrationincludedsettlersfromcountriessuchasMalaysiaandVietnam,aswellasfromSingapore,HongKongandTaiwan.Atotalof42,299Chinese-speakersarrivedduringthe1996-2001period,representing21%ofallChinese-speakersinNSW.
Environmental Profile Chinese Sample
Total NESB Sample
Ranking of environmental issues compared to other issues
Note:Environmentincludeswaterconservation
Rank4(8%) Rank3(18%)
Percentage who rated environment as very important to their life 73% 71%
Level of concern about the environment
AgreatdealAfairamountNotverymuch/notatallDon’tknow
37%52%10%1%
42%40%17%2%
Reasons for concern
QualityoflifeHealtheffectsofpollutionConcernforfuturegenerations
37%22%18%
23%22%31%
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) 73
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
4.CommunityProfiles–Chinese
Environmental Profile Chinese Sample
Total NESB Sample
Single most important environmental issue
Don’tknowWaterconservationAirpollution(motorvehicleemissions)Litteranddumpingofrubbish
21%20%13%
7%
10%35%5%5%
Environmentally friendly behaviours cited as engaged in often
TakenactivestepstoreduceenergyconsumptionMadeanefforttoreducewaterconsumptionPurchasedenergyefficientappliancesorlightglobesDecidedtoreusesomethinginsteadofthrowingitawayRecycledpaperand/orothermaterialsatworkTakenactivestepstopreventstormwaterpollutionTakenactivestepstoreducefuelconsumptionandvehicleemissionsAvoidedplasticbagstocarryshoppinghomeChosenhouseholdproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironmentAvoidedproductswithlotsofpackagingCompostedfoodand/orgardenrefuseTriedtogetinformationaboutprotectingtheenvironmentParticipatedinlocaldevelopmentorenvironmentalissues
75%65%60%59%55%37%25%24%17%17%11%
9%1%
67%77%47%54%59%64%37%33%41%34%26%19%6%
Sources of information on environment classified as very reliable
EnvironmentandconservationgroupsGovernmentdepartmentsoragenciesLocalcouncilsCommunityservicegroupssuchasMigrantResourceCentresYourchildrenBilingualeducatorsReligiousleadersBusiness/industry
65%63%51%30%22%17%14%10%
56%35%37%30%45%32%26%11%
Outdoor spaces around the home
Housewithlawnand/orgardensFlatwithbalconyCourtyardstylegarden/mainlypavedexteriorareasFlatwithnobalconyRuralblockofland
43%33%17%5%1%
59%15%18%5%3%
Features of a good place to live
Secure/lowcrime/safetyClosetotransportCleanairClosetoshopsandschoolsFriendlypeopleLeafy,green,tree-linedstreetsParksforkidstoplay
69%21%17%13%12%10%0%
33%14%14%21%24%9%7%
74 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Chinese
Media Profile Chinese Sample
Total NESB Sample
Television stations viewed most often
CommercialSBSABCOther/don’tknowOtherLOTEtelevisionDonotwatchtelevisionPaytelevision
59%16%9%8%5%2%0%
56%16%9%4%5%4%6%
Radio station listened to most often
EnglishcommercialradioDonotlistentoradioOther/don’tknowLOTEradioABCRadio
34%27%18%16%
6%
23%19%18%33%
8%
MainLOTEstationnominated: SBS RadioOtherstationsnominatedwere:2CR,2AC
Newspapers read most often
LOTEnewspapersSydneyMorning/SunHeraldOther/don’tknowDaily/SundayTelegraphDonotreadnewspapersLocalEnglishnewspaperTheAustralian/FinancialReview
60%18%9%8%3%2%1%
34%20%10%16%9%
10%1%
MainChinesetitlenominated:Australian Chinese DailyOthertitlesnominatedwere:SingTao,ChinesePost,ChineseHerald,EpochTimes,andAustralianChineseNewsWeekly
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) 75
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
4.CommunityProfiles–Greek
GreekGreek-speakersmakeupthefourthlargestlanguagegroupbehindChinese,ArabicandItalian-speakers.Thereisasizeablesecondandsubsequentgenerationwith40%borninAustralia.Recentarrivalsarefewandthecommunityisover-representedinolderagegroups.CanterburylocalgovernmentareahasthelargestpopulationofGreek-speakerswith16%ofthoseinNSW.
TherearesomedifferencesbetweentheprofileofGreekspeakersinthisstudycomparedtothegeneralGreekpopulationinNSWandcomparedtothetotalstudysample(seeAppendixA).Aschildrenunder18werenotinterviewed,asmallerproportionofthissamplewereborninAustralia(19%comparedto40%inNSW),buttheproportionborninAustraliawashighcomparedtosomeotherlanguagegroupsinthestudy(fourgroupswereabout20%Australianbornandfourhadlessthan5%).TheGreek-speakersweresignificantlyolderthanmostothergroups(67%inthe55+bracketcomparedtoaverageof33%),reflectingthemajorwaveofGreekmigrationinthe1950swhile,67%didnotcompletehighschoolcomparedtoanaverageof30%acrossallgroups.
Greek-speakersweresimilartothetotalsampleintheirratingofenvironmentalissuescomparedwithotherissues,andintheiroveralllevelofconcern.Thereweretwoalmostequallymentionedreasonsfortheirconcernaboutenvironmentalproblems.Forjustoveraquartertheirconcernisforfuturegenerationsandforanotherquarteritisthehealtheffectsofpollution.However,moreGreekparticipantsratedtheenvironmentasveryimportanttotheirlivesthanthetotalsample(80%comparedto71%).Greek-speakerswerealsomorelikelytoconsiderpoliticstobeimportantintheirlifethanthetotalsample.
Waterconservationwasthetopenvironmentalissuein2004forGreek-speakers,followedbypollution,andtheyweremorelikelytocitetheseissuesthanthetotalsample.Theirtopissuein1996,airpollution,isnowthefourthrankedissue,wellbelowwaterconservation(7%comparedto44%).
Inenvironmentalknowledge,moreGreek-speakersthananyothergroupknewthatmuchmorewaterinNSWisusedinagriculturethanbydomesticandmanufacturingusescombinedandthatover90%ofNSW’selectricitycomesfromburningcoal.However,theyweremuchlesslikelythantheaveragetoknowthatthegreenhouseeffectisnotcausedbyaholeintheEarth’satmosphereandtheleastlikelyofallthelanguagegroupstoknowthatproductsmadeoutofrecycledmaterialsarenotusuallyoflowerqualityandthatnativebirdsandanimalscansurviveincitieswithoutpeoplefeedingthem.
MoreGreek-speakersoftenengagedinmanyoftheenvironmentallyfriendlybehavioursconsideredinthesurveythanthetotalsamplebuttheysaidtheyavoidedproductswithlotsofpackagingatsignificantlyhigherlevels.Innominatingpersonalenvironmentallydamagingbehaviour,significantlymoreGreek-speakerssaidtheywerecarelesswiththeirrubbishandidentifiedusingchemicalsandherbicidesthanthetotalsample.
ForGreek-speakersfriendlypeopleisthemostimportantfeatureofagoodplacetolive,nominatedby39%.Greek-speakerswerelesslikelytonominatesecurity,lowcrimeandsafetyasapositivefeatureoftheirlocalareacomparedtothetotalsample.
Greek-speakersweremorelikelytonominatetheirchildrenasveryreliablesourcesofinformationaboutenvironmentalissuesthanthetotalsample.Thesecondnominatedsourcewasenvironmental/conservationgroups(theirmostreliablesourcein1996).Theywerelesslikelytonominatelocalcouncilsand,inparticular,governmentdepartmentsoragenciesnominatedbyonly17%,comparedto35%ofthetotalsample.
UseofnewspapersandradiowashigheramongGreek-speakersthanoftelevision.Inparticular,Greek-speakerswerelesslikelytowatchcommercialtelevisionthanthetotalsample.TherewasaslightlyhigherproportionofGreek-speakerswhowatchedSBSthanthetotalsample.
Greek-speakersweremorelikelytolistentoLOTEradioandreadLOTEnewspapersthanEnglishlanguageradioornewspapers.TheywerealsomorelikelytoaccessLOTEradioandLOTEnewspapersthanthetotalsample.ThemostpopularradiostationmentionedwasSBSRadioandEllinikos KirikasandNea Patridawerethemostpopularnewspapers.
Greek-speakersweremorelikelytonominatetelevisionasthepreferredsourceofinformationabouttheenvironment.
76 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Greek
Demographic ProfileSizeoflanguagegroupinNSW 90,180representing8%ofallnon-EnglishspeakersinNSW.
Maincountriesofbirth AustraliaGreeceCyprusEgypt
40%29%4%2%
DistributioninNSW SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
72%28%
Genderprofile MaleFemale
50%50%
LocalGovernmentAreasinNSWwithlargestpopulation(morethan5,000persons)
Local Government Area
CanterburyRockdaleBankstownRandwickMarrickville
# persons
14,3998,5336,772
5,6545,252
% of LGA
11% 15%
4%5%7%
SpokenEnglishcompetenceinNSW Thosewhospeaknotwellornotatall 14,980 17%
Migrationhistory GreekmigrationwasmostlypostWWIIand,asatrend,hasvirtuallyceased.Recentarrivalsaresmallandthecommunityisagingrapidly.
Environmental Profile Greek Sample
Total NESB Sample
Ranking of environmental issues compared to other issues
Note:Environmentincludeswaterconservation
Rank4(13%) Rank3(18%)
Percentage who rated environment as very important to their life 80% 71%
Level of concern about the environment
AgreatdealAfairamountNotverymuch/notatallDon’tknow
46%34%15%5%
42%40%17%2%
Reasons for concern
ConcernforfuturegenerationsHealtheffectsofpollutionMaintainingeco-systems–nature,plants,animals
27%26%14%
31%22%8%
Single most important environmental issue
WaterconservationPollution(general)WaterpollutionAirpollution(general)
44%23%8%7%
35%14%6%5%
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4.CommunityProfiles–Greek
Environmental Profile Greek Sample
Total NESB Sample
Environmentally responsible behaviours cited as engaged in often
MadeanefforttoreducewaterconsumptionTakenactivestepstopreventstormwaterpollutionTakenactivestepstoreduceenergyconsumptionDecidedtoreusesomethinginsteadofthrowingitawayRecycledpaperand/orothermaterialsatworkAvoidedproductswithlotsofpackagingTakenactivestepstoreducefuelconsumptionandvehicleemissionsChosenhouseholdproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironmentPurchasedenergyefficientappliancesorlightglobesAvoidedplasticbagstocarryshoppinghomeCompostedfoodand/orgardenrefuseTriedtogetinformationaboutprotectingtheenvironmentParticipatedinlocaldevelopmentorenvironmentalissues
81%70%61%58%54%50%48%43%41%34%26%21%8%
77%64%67%54%59%34%37%41%47%33%26%19%6%
Sources of information on environment classified as very reliable
YourchildrenEnvironmentandconservationgroupsBilingualeducatorsCommunityservicegroupssuchasMigrantResourceCentresLocalcouncilsReligiousleadersGovernmentdepartmentsoragenciesBusiness/industry
56%50%43%36%27%23%17%13%
45%56%32%30%37%26%35%11%
Outdoor spaces around the home
Housewithlawnand/orgardensCourtyardstylegarden/mainlypavedexteriorareasFlatwithbalconyRuralblockoflandFlatwithnobalcony
43%37%13%4%3%
59%18%15%3%5%
Features of a good place to live
FriendlypeopleClosetoshopsandschoolsSecure/lowcrime/safetyLeafy,green,tree-linedstreetsCleanairClosetotransportParksforkidstoplay
39%18%16%16%11%7%0%
24%21%33%
9%14%14%7%
78 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Greek
Media Profile Greek Sample
Total NESB Sample
Television stations viewed most often
CommercialSBSPaytelevisionABCOther/don’tknowOtherLOTEtelevisionDonotwatchtelevision
44%22%11%8%8%3%3%
56%16%6%9%4%5%4%
Radio station listened to most often
LOTEradioEnglishcommercialradioOther/don’tknowDonotlistentoradioABCRadio
40%25%21%8%6%
33%23%18%19%8%
MainLOTEstationnominated:SBS RadioOtherstationsnominatedwere:2MM,HellenicRadioandGalaxis
Newspapers read most often
LOTEnewspapersDaily/SundayTelegraphSydneyMorning/SunHeraldOther/don’tknowDonotreadnewspapersTheAustralian/FinancialReviewLocalEnglishnewspaper
45%20%13%11%9%1%1%
34%16%20%10%9%1%
10%
MainGreektitlenominated:Ellinikos Kirikas/Nea PatridaOthertitlesnominatedwere:OKosmos,GreekNationalVema,EllinisandGreekHerald
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4.CommunityProfiles–Italian
ItalianItalian-speakersmakeupthethirdlargestlanguagegroupinNSW,andasizeablenumberofthesearesecondandsubsequentgenerations,with40%borninAustralia.However,therearesomedifferencesbetweentheprofileofItalianspeakersinthisstudycomparedtothegeneralItalianpopulationinNSWandcomparedtothetotalstudysample(seeAppendixA).Aschildrenunder18werenotinterviewedasmallerproportionwereborninAustralia(22%comparedto40%inNSW),buttheproportionborninAustraliawashighcomparedtosomeotherlanguagegroupsinthestudy(fourgroupswereabout20%Australianbornandfourhadlessthan5%).TheItalian-speakersweresignificantlyolderthanmostothergroups(67%inthe55+bracketcomparedtoaverageof33%),reflectingthemajorwaveofItalianmigrationinthe1950s,while69%didnotcompletehighschoolcomparedtoanaverageof30%acrossallgroups.
WhileItalian-speakersweresimilartothetotalsampleintheirrankingoftheenvironmentcomparedtootherissuesforgovernmentattention,theiroveralllevelofconcernaboutenvironmentalproblemswaslower.Inparticular,significantlyfewerItalian-speakerswereconcernedagreatdealaboutenvironmentalissues.Theirreasonsforconcernreflectedthetotalsamplewithoverathirdnominatingconcernforfuturegenerationsandafifthqualityoflife.Healtheffectsofpollutionwasalesscommonreasonthanforthetotalsample.
Italian-speakerswerealsosignificantlylesslikelytoratetheenvironmentasveryimportanttotheirlives(44%,comparedto71%ofthetotalsample).
WaterconservationwasthemostimportantenvironmentalissueforItalian-speakersnominatedslightlymoreoftenthanbythetotalsample,followedatamuchlowerlevelbypollution.In1996theirmostimportantissuewasairpollution.Theywerealsomorelikelytonottobeabletonominateanyissues,butthishasfallensubstantially(from34%in1996to15%in2004).
Inenvironmentalknowledge,ItalianspeakersweremorelikelytoknowthatproductsmadeoutofrecycledmaterialsarenotusuallyoflowerqualityandthatmuchmorewaterinNSWisusedinagriculturethanbydomesticandmanufacturingusescombined.Theywerealittlemorelikelytoknowthatleavesandgrassclippingspollutestormwaterandwereclosetotheaverageacrossthelanguagegroupsonotherquestions.
Acrosstherangeofenvironmentalbehavioursconsidered,Italian-speakershaveadoptedsomeatmuchhigherratesthanothergroupsandothersatmuchlowerrates.Theyweremorelikelythanthetotalsampletosaytheyhadoftenreuseditems,avoidedusingplasticbagsandcompostedbuttheywerelesslikelytohaveadoptedenergyefficientbehaviour,suchasreducingenergyconsumptionorreducingfuelconsumptionandvehicleemissions,tohaveavoidedstormwaterpollutionandrecycledmaterialsatwork.
Whendiscussingenvironmentallydamagingbehaviours,Italian-speakersmentionedfailuretorecycle,usingchemicalsandpesticidesandlettingoil,fatandotherthingsdownthesinkmostoften.
Italian-speakers,liketheGreeksample,weremorelikelytonominatefriendlypeopleasthemostimportantfeatureofagoodplacetolive,andweremuchlesslikelythanthetotalgrouptofocusonlowcrime,securityandsafetyasimportant.
Italian-speakersnominatedanarrowerrangeofreliablesourcesofenvironmentalinformationthanothergroups.Inparticular,Italian-speakingparticipantslessoftencitedenvironmentalgroups,localcouncils,government,migrantresourcecentresandbilingualeducatorsasreliable.MoreItalian-speakersconsideredfamily,friendsandneighbours,theirchildrenandreligiousleadersasreliablethanallothersources.Italian-speakerswerealsolesslikelytonominatemostsourcesasveryreliablewhencomparedtothetotalsample.
MediausebyItalian-speakersdidnotvarysignificantlyfromthetotalsample.Overall,responsesindicatedapreferencefortelevisionandradiomediaovernewspapers,exceptinthereadershipofthe Daily Telegraph,whichwasslightlyhigherthanthetotalsample.ReadershipofLOTEnewspaperswaslowerthanbythetotalsample.
ReteItaliawasthemostpopularLOTEradiostationforItalian-speakersandLa FiammathemostpopularLOTEnewspaper.Theynominatedtelevisionasthemostpreferredsourceofinformationaboutenvironmentalissues.
80 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Italian
Demographic ProfileSizeoflanguagegroupinNSW 96,791representing8%ofallnon-EnglishspeakersinNSW.
Maincountriesofbirth ItalyAustraliaEgypt
51%40%2%
DistributioninNSW SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
82%18%
Genderprofile MaleFemale
50%50%
LocalGovernmentAreasinNSWwithlargestpopulation(TopfiveLGA’s)
Local Government Area
FairfieldLiverpoolCanterburyDrummoyneBankstown
# persons
8,7845,8344,7214,2973,637
% of LGA
5%4%4%
13%2%
SpokenEnglishcompetenceinNSW Thosewhospeaknotwellornotatall 14,514 15%
Migrationhistory ItalianmigrationwasmainlyinthedecadesimmediatelyafterpostWWIIand,asatrend,hasvirtuallyceased.ThenumberofrecentarrivalsisverysmallandtheItalian-borncommunityisagingrapidly.
Environmental Profile Italian Sample
Total NESB Sample
Ranking of environmental issues compared to other issues
Note:Environmentincludeswaterconservation
Rank3(18%) Rank3(18%)
Percentage who rated environment as very important to their life 44% 71%
Level of concern about the environment
AgreatdealAfairamountNotverymuch/notatallDon’tknow
28%41%27%4%
42%40%17%2%
Reasons for concern
ConcernforfuturegenerationsQualityoflifeHealtheffectsofpollution
36%21%11%
31%23%22%
Single most important environmental issue
WaterconservationDon’tknowPollution(general)WaterpollutionIndustryemissions
39%15%13%4%4%
35%10%14%6%2%
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4.CommunityProfiles–Italian
Environmental Profile Italian Sample
Total NESB Sample
Environmentally friendly behaviours cited as engaged in often
MadeanefforttoreducewaterconsumptionDecidedtoreusesomethinginsteadofthrowingitawayTakenactivestepstoreduceenergyconsumptionTakenactivestepstopreventstormwaterpollutionAvoidedplasticbagstocarryshoppinghomeCompostedfoodand/orgardenrefuseChosenhouseholdproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironmentRecycledpaperand/orothermaterialsatworkPurchasedenergyefficientappliancesorlightglobesAvoidedproductswithlotsofpackagingTakenactivestepstoreducefuelconsumptionandvehicleemissionsTriedtogetinformationaboutprotectingtheenvironmentParticipatedinlocaldevelopmentorenvironmentalissues
75%61%55%48%43%43%40%40%39%37%22%12%8%
77%54%67%64%33%26%41%59%47%34%37%19%6%
Sources of information on environment classified as very reliable
YourchildrenEnvironmentandconservationgroupsReligiousleadersCommunityservicegroupssuchasMigrantResourceCentresLocalcouncilsBusiness/industryGovernmentdepartmentsoragenciesBilingualeducators
45%23%20%16%12%11%10%9%
45%56%26%30%37%11%35%32%
Outdoor spaces around the home
Housewithlawnand/orgardensCourtyardstylegarden/mainlypavedexteriorareasRuralblockoflandFlatwithbalconyFlatwithnobalcony
66%18%11%5%0%
59%18%
3%15%
5%
Features of a good place to live
FriendlypeopleSecure/lowcrime/safetyCleanairClosetoshopsandschoolsParksforkidstoplayClosetotransportLeafy,green,tree-linedstreets
30%15%12%10%10%8%4%
24%33%14%21%
7%14%
9%
82 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Italian
Media Profile Italian Sample
Total NESB Sample
Television stations viewed most often
CommercialSBSABCPaytelevisionOther/don’tknowDonotwatchtelevisionOtherLOTEtelevision
54%18%9%7%7%4%2%
56%16%9%6%4%4%5%
Radio station listened to most often
LOTEradioOther/don’tknowEnglishcommercialradioDonotlistentoradioABCRadio
32%25%23%12%8%
33%18%23%19%8%
MainItalianstationnominated:Rete ItaliaOtherstationsnominatedwere:MovimentoFM–Radio2000,SBSRadio
Newspapers read most often
LOTEnewspapersDaily/SundayTelegraphSydneyMorning/SunHeraldLocalEnglishnewspaperOther/don’tknowDonotreadnewspapersTheAustralian/FinancialReview
27%22%17%13%10%10%1%
34%16%20%10%10%9%1%
MainItaliantitlenominated:La FiammaOthertitlenominated:IlGlobo
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4.CommunityProfiles–Korean
KoreanKorean-speakersmakeuptheninthlargestlanguagegroupinNSW.AhighproportiontheKorean-languagecommunityinNSWarefirstgenerationimmigrants,withonlyaboutoneintenKorean-speakersborninAustralia.However,therearesomedifferencesbetweentheprofileoftheKoreanspeakersinthissamplecomparedtothegeneralKoreanpopulationinNSWandcomparedtothetotalstudysample(seeAppendixA).Inthissamplethereweremorefemales(68%comparedto52%inNSW).AsmallerproportionofthesamplewasborninAustralia(1%comparedto11%)becausechildrenunder18werenotinterviewed,andthiswaslowcomparedtoanumberofotherlanguagegroupsinthestudy(fourgroupswereabout20%Australianbornandfourhadlessthan5%).TheKoreanspeakersweresignificantlymorelikelytobeuniversityeducatedthanalllanguagegroupsinthestudy(68%comparedtoaverageof30%acrossallgroups).
Korean-speakersweremuchmorelikelytoratetheenvironmentasveryimportanttotheirlivesthanthetotalsamplebuttheirconcernaboutenvironmentalproblemswaslower.FewerKorean-speakersthanthetotalsamplewereconcernedagreatdealabouttheenvironmentandmorewerelittleornotconcerned.ForalmostfourintentheirconcernwasforfuturegenerationsandforaquarterofKorean-speakers,itwasqualityoflife.
Inrankingenvironmentalissuescomparedtootherissuesforgovernmentattention,Korean-speakers’responsesweresimilartothetotalsample.HoweverKorean-speakersweremuchlesslikelycitewaterconservationasthesinglemostimportantissueandslightlymorelikelytobeunabletonominateanyenvironmentalissues.
Inknowledgequestions,Korean-speakersweremuchmorelikelythantheaveragetoknowthatmostbackyardspidersarenotdangeroustopeoplebutwereclosetotheaverageintheirrateofcorrectresponsesonmostotherquestions.
Korean-speakerssaytheyoftenengageinarangeofenvironmentallyfriendlybehavioursatahigherratethanthegeneralsample,particularlycomposting,buttheyalsowerealsomorelikelytoavoidusingplasticbags,reduceenergyconsumption,purchaseenergyefficientappliancesorlightglobesandrecyclematerialsatwork.
ForKorean-speakersaspectsrelatingtosecurity,lowcrimeandsafetyandcleanairwereequallyimportantasfeaturesofagoodplacetolive,eachnominatedbyaquarterofKorean-speakers.Theyconsideredfriendlypeoplemuchlessimportantthanothergroups.
Korean-speakersweresignificantlymorelikelythanthetotalsampletoclassifyallinformationsourcesasveryreliable,withtheexceptionofbusiness/industry(wheretherewasnodifferencetotherestofthesample).Korean-speakersnominatedenvironmentandconservationgroupsthemostoften(80%comparedto56%ofthetotalsample).
Overall,Korean-speakersweremorelikelytoaccesscommercialorEnglishmediathanLOTEmedia.Inparticular,Korean-speakersweremorelikelytowatchcommercialtelevisionandtheABC.Korean-speakerswerelesslikelytowatchSBS,otherLOTEtelevisionorPaytelevision.Korean-speakersweresimilartothetotalsampleinnominatingtelevisionasthepreferredsourceofinformationabouttheenvironment.
ThemostpopularKoreanradiostationnominatedwasKoreanRadio,howeveronly10%ofKorean-speakersreportedLOTEradioasastationtheylistenedtomostfrequently.
ThemostpopularKoreannewspaperwasHoju Dong A,howeverlessthanaquarterofallKorean-speakersinthesamplenominatedaLOTEnewspapertitle.MorethanathirdofKorean-speakersnominatedtheSydney Morning/Sun Herald asthenewspaperthattheyreadthemostoften.Thisissignificantlydifferentfromthetotalsample.
84 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Korean
Demographic ProfileSizeoflanguagegroupinNSW 30,099representing3%ofallnon-EnglishspeakersinNSW.
Maincountriesofbirth KoreaAustralia
85%11%
DistributioninNSW SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
98%2%
Genderprofile MaleFemale
48%52%
LocalGovernmentAreasinNSWwithlargestpopulation(TopfiveLGA’s)
Local Government Area
CanterburyParramattaRydeHornsbyStrathfield
# persons
3,6262,766
2,2912,2611,940
% of LGA
3%2%2%2%7%
SpokenEnglishcompetenceinNSW Thosewhospeaknotwellornotatall 10,999 37%
Migrationhistory Koreanmigrationbeganintheearly1970sundertheskilledmigrationprogramandnumbersofKoreanimmigrantsincreasedsubstantiallyoverthe1980sand1990s.
Environmental Profile Korean Sample
Total NESB Sample
Ranking of environmental issues compared to other issues
Note:Environmentincludeswaterconservation
Rank3(13%) Rank3(18%)
Percentage who rated environment as very important to their life 86% 71%
Level of concern about the environment
AgreatdealAfairamountNotverymuch/notatall
31%40%29%
42%40%17%
Reasons for concern
ConcernforfuturegenerationsQualityoflifeHealtheffectsofpollution
39%25%13%
31%23%22%
Single most important environmental issue
WaterconservationDon’tknowAirpollution(motorvehicleemissions)Litteranddumpingofrubbish
15%15%10%9%
35%10%5%5%
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4.CommunityProfiles–Korean
Environmental Profile Korean Sample
Total NESB Sample
Environmentally friendly behaviours cited as engaged in often
MadeanefforttoreducewaterconsumptionTakenactivestepstoreduceenergyconsumptionRecycledpaperand/orothermaterialsatworkPurchasedenergyefficientappliancesorlightglobesTakenactivestepstopreventstormwaterpollutionDecidedtoreusesomethinginsteadofthrowingitawayCompostedfoodand/orgardenrefuseAvoidedplasticbagstocarryshoppinghomeChosenhouseholdproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironmentTakenactivestepstoreducefuelconsumptionandvehicleemissionsAvoidedproductswithlotsofpackagingTriedtogetinformationaboutprotectingtheenvironmentParticipatedinlocaldevelopmentorenvironmentalissues
76%74%68%59%58%56%49%44%40%34%32%24%9%
77%67%59%47%64%54%26%33%41%37%34%19%
6%
Sources of information on environment classified as very reliable
EnvironmentandconservationgroupsLocalcouncilsYourchildrenCommunityservicegroupssuchasMigrantResourceCentresReligiousleadersBilingualeducatorsGovernmentdepartmentsoragenciesBusiness/industry
80%67%66%61%58%57%55%25%
56%37%45%30%26%32%35%11%
Outdoor spaces around the home
Housewithlawnand/orgardensFlatwithbalconyCourtyardstylegarden/mainlypavedexteriorareasFlatwithnobalconyRuralblockofland
57%29%
7%6%1%
59%15%18%
5%3%
Features of a good place to live
Secure/lowcrime/safetyCleanairClosetotransportClosetoshopsandschoolsFriendlypeopleLeafy,green,tree-linedstreetsParksforkidstoplay
25%25%18%12%10%10%0%
33%14%14%21%24%
9%7%
86 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Korean
Media Profile Korean Sample
Total NESB Sample
Televsion stations viewed most often
CommercialABCSBSDonotwatchtelevisionOther/don’tknowPaytelevisionOtherLOTEtelevision
60%16%9%6%6%3%0%
56%9%
16%4%4%6%5%
Radio station listened to most often
DonotlistentoradioEnglishcommercialradioOther/don’tknowABCRadioLOTEradio
41%19%17%13%10%
19%23%18%8%
33%
MainKoreanstationnominated:Korean radioOtherstationsnominatedwere:SBSRadio
Newspaper read most often
SydneyMorning/SunHeraldLOTEnewspapersLocalEnglishnewspaperOther/don’tknowDaily/SundayTelegraphDonotreadnewspapersTheAustralian/FinancialReview
36%24%13%9%8%8%2%
20%34%10%10%16%9%2%
MainKoreantitlenominated:Hoju Dong AOthertitlenominatedwas:WeeklyKoreanLifeReview
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4.CommunityProfiles–Macedonian
MacedonianMacedonian-speakersmakeuptheeighthlargestlanguagegroupintheNSWareawithalmost40%borninAustralia.Macedonian-speakersinNSWlivepredominantlyinRockdaleandBankstownlocalgovernmentareas.
InthesampleofMacedonian-speakersforthisstudyasmallerproportionwereborninAustraliathanthegeneralMacedonianpopulationinNSW(22%comparedto37%)becausechildrenunder18werenotinterviewed,buttheproportionborninAustraliawashighcomparedtosomeotherlanguagegroupsinthestudy(fourgroupswereabout20%Australianbornandfourhadlessthan5%).Macedonian-speakershadthehighestnumbersinpaidwork(70%comparedtoaverageof48%acrossallgroups).
Macedonian-speakersweresimilartothetotalsampleintheirratingoftheenvironmentcomparedtootherissuesforgovernmentattentionandalsointheiroveralllevelofconcernaboutenvironmentalissues.Theirconcernfocusedstronglyonfuturegenerations,withalmosthalfnominatingthisreason.Theywerelesslikelytobeconcernedaboutthehealtheffectsofpollutionthanthegeneralsample.However,Macedonian-speakerswerelesslikelytoconsidertheenvironmentasveryimportanttotheirlives(59%)whencomparedtothetotalsample(71%).
Macedonian-speakersnominatedsimilarenvironmentalissuestothetotalsample,withwaterconservation,pollution(general)andairpollutionseenasthemostimportantenvironmentalissues.
Onquestionsofenvironmentalknowledge,moreMacedonian-speakersknewthatleavesandgrassclippingspollutestormwaterthananyotherlanguagegroup.However,theywerelesslikelytoknowthatnativebirdsandanimalscansurviveinthecitywithoutpeoplefeedingthemandthatproductsmadeoutofrecycledmaterialsarenotusuallyoflowerquality.LessMacedonian-speakersknewthatmostbackyardspidersarenotdangeroustopeoplethananyothergroup.
Macedonian-speakersweresignificantlymorelikelythanthetotalsampletosaytheyhavetakenactivestepstoreducestormwaterpollution(85%comparedto64%ofthetotalsample).Macedonian-speakerswerealsomorelikelytobeunabletonominateanypersonalenvironmentallydamagingbehaviour.
ForMacedonian-speakersaspectsrelatingtoproximitytoshopsandschoolsandleafy,green,tree-linedstreetswerethemostmentionedfeaturesofagoodplacetolive,bothsignificantlyhigherthanthetotalsample.Theymentionedsecurity,lowcrimeandsafetyissueslessoftenthanothergroups.
Macedonian-speakerswerelesslikelytoclassifyanysourcesofinformationabouttheenvironmentasveryreliablewiththeexceptionoftheirownchildren.Inparticular,Macedonian-speakersweresignificantlylesslikelythantherestofthesampletoclassifylocalcouncils,governmentdepartments,environmentgroups,migrantresourcecentresandbilingualeducatorsasveryreliablesourcesofinformation.
Macedonian-speakershadfairlyhighlevelsofmediauseacrosstelevision,radioandnewspaperforms.Morethan60%watchcommercialtelevisionandtherewasaslightlyhighernumberofMacedonian-speakersthatregularlyviewedSBSwhencomparedtothetotalsample.
MorethanfourintenMacedonian-speakerslistenedtoLOTEradio,comparedto33%ofthetotalsample.MacedonianRadiowasthemostpopularstation.MorethanaquarterofMacedonian-speakersalsolistentocommercialradioregularlyandthisisslightlyhigherthanthetotalsample.
TheAustralian Macedonian Weeklywasthemostpopularnewspaperidentified.JustoveraquarterofMacedonian-speakersaccessedLOTEnewspapersregularly.ThiswasslightlylowerthanthetotalsampleforLOTEnewspaperreadership.Macedonian-speakersalsohadafairlyhighreadershiplevelofEnglishlanguagenewspaperssuchastheDaily Telegraph.
88 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Macedonian
Demographic ProfileSizeoflanguagegroupinNSW 30,641representing3%ofallnon-EnglishspeakersinNSW.
Maincountriesofbirth FormerYugoslavRepublicofMacedonia(FYROM)Australia
57%37%
DistributioninNSW SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
65%35%
Genderprofile MaleFemale
51%49%
LocalGovernmentAreasinNSWwithlargestpopulation(Top5LGA’s)
LocalGovernmentAreasRockdaleBankstownFairfieldHurstvilleLiverpool
# persons
5,4983,1381,885
1,8301,650
% of LGA
6%2%1%3%1%
SpokenEnglishcompetenceinNSW Thosewhospeaknotwellornotatall 5,915 19%
Migrationhistory Inresponsetorisingunemploymentinthe1960s,theSocialistFederalRepublicofYugoslavia(SFRY)permitteditscitizenstoseekemploymentabroad.Thisresultedinthemigrationofalmost100,000YugoslavstoAustraliabetween1961and1976.ManyoftheYugoslavswereMacedonian-speakersfromtheBitolaandOhridregions.
Environmental Profile Macedonian Sample
Total NESB Sample
Ranking of environmental issues compared to other issues
Note:Environmentincludeswaterconservation
Rank4(16%) Rank3(18%)
Percentage who rated environment as very important to their life 59% 71%
Level of concern about the environment
AgreatdealAfairamountNotverymuch/notatall
47%37%16%
42%40%17%
Reasons for concern
ConcernforfuturegenerationsHealtheffectsofpollutionQualityoflife
46%26%12%
31%22%23%
Single most important environmental issue
WaterconservationPollution(general)AirpollutionDon’tknow
35%18%7%7%
35%14%5%
10%
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4.CommunityProfiles–Macedonian
Environmental Profile Macedonian Sample
Total NESB Sample
Environmentally friendly behaviours cited as engaged in often
TakenactivestepstopreventstormwaterpollutionMadeanefforttoreducewaterconsumptionTakenactivestepstoreduceenergyconsumptionRecycledpaperand/orothermaterialsatworkDecidedtoreusesomethinginsteadofthrowingitawayTakenactivestepstoreducefuelconsumptionandvehicleemissionsChosenhouseholdproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironmentAvoidedproductswithlotsofpackagingAvoidedplasticbagstocarryshoppinghomeCompostedfoodand/orgardenrefusePurchasedenergyefficientappliancesorlightglobesTriedtogetinformationaboutprotectingtheenvironmentParticipatedinlocaldevelopmentorenvironmentalissues
85%83%75%59%56%43%52%35%31%29%29%16%9%
64%77%67%59%54%37%41%34%33%26%47%19%
6%
Sources of information on environment classified as very reliable
YourchildrenEnvironmentandconservationgroupsLocalcouncilsGovernmentdepartmentsoragenciesReligiousleadersBilingualeducatorsCommunityservicegroupssuchasMigrantResourceCentresBusiness/industry
42%31%21%12%10%
9%7%4%
45%56%37%35%26%32%30%11%
Outdoor spaces around the home
Housewithlawnand/orgardensCourtyardstylegarden/mainlypavedexteriorareasFlatwithbalconyRuralblockoflandFlatwithnobalcony
70%20%9%1%0%
59%18%15%
3%3%
Features of a good place to live
ClosetoshopsandschoolsLeafy,green,tree-linedstreetsFriendlypeopleSecure/lowcrime/safetyCleanairClosetotransportParksforkidstoplay
36%25%23%21%21%17%12%
21%9%
24%33%14%14%
7%
90 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Macedonian
Media Profile Macedonian Sample
Total NESB Sample
Television stations viewed most often
CommercialSBSABCPaytelevisionOtherLOTEtelevisionDonotwatchtelevisionOther/don’tknow
61%20%7%6%2%2%1%
56%16%9%6%5%4%4%
Radio station listened to most often
LOTEradioEnglishcommercialradioOther/don’tknowDonotlistentoradioABCRadio
42%27%16%12%3%
33%23%18%19%8%
MainMacedonianstationnominated:Macedonian RadioOtherstationsnominatedwere:SBSRadio,2VOX,RadioSydneyMacedonia
Newspapers read most often
LOTEnewspapersDaily/SundayTelegraphOther/don’tknowSydneyMorning/SunHeraldLocalEnglishnewspaperDonotreadnewspapersTheAustralian/FinancialReview
27%20%18%14%11%10%0%
34%16%10%20%10%9%1%
MainMacedoniantitlenominated:Australian Macedonian WeeklyOthertitlenominatedwas:TodyDenes
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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4.CommunityProfiles–Spanish
SpanishSpanish-speakersmakeupthesixthlargestlanguagegroupinNSW.Spanish-speakerscomefromavarietyofSouthernandCentralAmericancountriesincludingChile,Uruguay,Argentina,aswellasSpain.However,therearesomedifferencesbetweentheprofileoftheSpanish-speakersinthissamplecomparedtothegeneralSpanishpopulationinNSWandcomparedtothetotalstudysample(seeAppendixA).InthissampleasmallerproportionofthesamplewasborninAustraliathanthegeneralSpanishpopulation(1%comparedto22%inNSW)becausechildrenunder18werenotinterviewed,andthiswaslowcomparedtoanumberofotherlanguagegroupsinthestudy(fourgroupswereabout20%Australianbornandfourhadlessthan5%).
Spanish-speakershadthehighestlevelofconcernabouttheenvironmentwithtwo-thirdsveryconcernedaboutenvironmentalproblemscomparedto42%ofthetotalsample.Thestrongestreasonforconcernwasqualityoflife,mentionedby40%,almostdoubletherateforthetotalsample.Theyalsomentionedhealtheffectsofpollutionmorefrequentlybutcitedconcernforfuturegenerationslessfrequently.
Inaddition,81%ofSpanish-speakersratedtheenvironmentasveryimportanttotheirlivesandweretheonlylanguagegrouptoratetheenvironmentmorehighlythanotherissueswith37%nominatingtheenvironment(includingwaterconservation)asoneofthetwomostimportantissuesforgovernment,comparedwith19%ofthetotalsample.
Spanish-speakerswerealsothemostlikelygrouptobeconcernedaboutwaterconservationwith64%nominatingitasthesinglebiggestenvironmentalissue,comparedto34%ofthetotalsample.Bycontrasttheirtopissuein1996,byasignificantmargin,wasairpollution.Spanish-speakerswerealsotheonlylanguagegroupwhereallrespondentscouldnominateatleastoneenvironmentalissueofconcern.Spanish-speakerswereslightlylesslikelytonominatepollution(general)thanthetotalsample.
Onenvironmentalknowledgequestions,moreSpanish-speakersthananyothergroupknewthatnativebirdsandanimalscansurviveinthecitywithoutpeoplefeedingthem,thatmostbackyardspidersarenotdangeroustopeoplethanandthatproductsmadeoutofrecycledmaterialsarenotusuallyoflowerquality.Ontheotherhand,lessSpanish-speakersthananyothergroupknewthatthegreenhouseeffectisnotcausedbyaholeintheEarth’satmosphereandthatmorewaterisusedforagriculturethanfordomesticandmanufacturingusescombined.
Spanish-speakersreportedoftenavoidingstormwaterpollution,recyclingmaterialsatworkchoosingmoreenvironmentallyfriendlyproductsandavoidingpackagingatsignificantlyhigherratesthanothergroups,andalsoengagedmoreinreducingwaterandfuelconsumption,andavoidingplasticbags.Indiscussingpersonalenvironmentallydamagingbehaviours,Spanish-speakersweremorelikelytomentionusingchemicalsandherbicidesandnotusingpublictransportthanthetotalsample.
ForSpanish-speakers,proximitytoshopsandschoolsandparksfortheirchildrentoplayinarethemostimportantcharacteristicsofagoodplacetolive,mentionedsignificantlymoreoftenthanbythetotalsample.Spanish-speakersaremuchlessconcernedaboutsecurity,lowcrimeandsafetyasfactorsindeterminingagoodplacetolive.
Spanish-speakersweresignificantlymorelikelytomentionenvironmentalgroups,theirchildrenandbilingualeductorsasveryreliablesourcesofinformationontheenvironment.Theynominatedgovernmentdepartmentsmuchlessoftenthanothergroupsandwerealsolesslikelytoclassify,localcouncils,religiousleaders,business/industryandmigrantresourcecentresasreliable.
Spanish-speakersaccessavarietyofmediaformsregularly,includingbothLOTEandEnglishforms.ThereareasignificantlyhighernumberwhowatchSBScomparedtothetotalsample.Commercialtelevisioniswatchedslightlylessfrequentlythanthetotalsample.
WhileSpanish-speakerslistentolesscommercialradiooverallwhencomparedtothetotalsample,thereisahighernumberofSpanish-speakerswholistentoABCradiothanthetotalsample.SBSradiowasnominatedasthemostpopularLOTEradiostationwith28%listeningtoLOTEradioonaregularbasis.ThemostpopularLOTEnewspaperwastheSpanish Herald,howeveronly18%readLOTEnewspapers,significantlylowerthantherestofthesample.Spanish-speakershaveafairlyhighlevelofreadershipofEnglishnewspaperssuchastheSydney Morning Herald andtheDaily Telegraph.
OverthreequartersofSpanish-speakersnominatedtelevisionastheirpreferredsourceofinformationaboutenvironmentalissues.
92 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Spanish
Demographic ProfileSizeoflanguagegroupinNSW 49,315representing4%ofallnon-EnglishspeakersinNSW.
Maincountriesofbirth AustraliaChileUruguayArgentinaSpainPeruColombia
22%22%12%9%8%7%4%
DistributioninNSW SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
90%10%
Genderprofile MaleFemale
48%52%
LocalGovernmentAreasinNSWwithlargestpopulation
Local Government Area
FairfieldLiverpoolBlacktownCampbelltownRockdale
# persons
8,8664,9503,046
2,5871,719
% of LGA
5%3%1%2%2%
SpokenEnglishcompetenceinNSW Thosewhospeaknotwellornotatall 7,775 16%
Migrationhistory Spanish-borntendedtomakeupthefirst-waveofSpanish-speakersmigratingtoAustralia,andaccountfor8%ofallSpanish-speakersinNSW.ThosefromLatinAmericatendtobemorerecentarrivalsthanthoseborninSpain,andmakeupmorethan60%ofallSpanishspeakersinNSW:Chile(22%),Uruguay(12%),Argentina(9%),Peru(7%),Colombia,(4%),ElSalvador(4%),Ecuador(2%).
Environmental Profile Spanish Sample
Total NESB Sample
Ranking of environmental issues compared to other issues
Note:Environmentincludeswaterconservation
Rank1(37%) Rank3(18%)
Percentage who rated environment as very important to their life 81% 71%
Level of concern about the environment
AgreatdealAfairamountNotverymuch/notatall
66%33%1%
42%40%17%
Reasons for concern
QualityoflifeHealtheffectsofpollutionConcernforfuturegenerations
40%31%21%
23%22%31%
Single most important environmental issue
WaterconservationLitteranddumpingofrubbishPollution(general)Waterpollution
64%7%6%5%
35%5%
14%6%
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) 93
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4.CommunityProfiles–Spanish
Environmental Profile Spanish Sample
Total NESB Sample
Environmentally friendly behaviours cited as engaged in often
MadeanefforttoreducewaterconsumptionTakenactivestepstopreventstormwaterpollutionRecycledpaperand/orothermaterialsatworkChosenhouseholdproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironmentTakenactivestepstoreduceenergyconsumptionDecidedtoreusesomethinginsteadofthrowingitawayAvoidedproductswithlotsofpackagingTakenactivestepstoreducefuelconsumptionandvehicleemissionsAvoidedplasticbagstocarryshoppinghomePurchasedenergyefficientappliancesorlightglobesTriedtogetinformationaboutprotectingtheenvironmentCompostedfoodand/orgardenrefuseParticipatedinlocaldevelopmentorenvironmentalissues
84%79%77%63%55%51%48%46%44%33%22%14%3%
77%64%59%41%67%54%34%37%33%47%19%26%
6%
Sources of information on environment classified as very reliable
YourchildrenEnvironmentandconservationgroupsBilingualeducatorsLocalcouncilsGovernmentdepartmentsoragenciesReligiousleadersCommunityservicegroupssuchasMigrantResourceCentresBusiness/industry
75%71%68%25%22%20%19%1%
45%56%32%37%35%26%30%11%
Outdoor spaces around the home
Housewithlawnand/orgardensFlatwithnobalconyFlatwithbalconyCourtyardstylegarden/mainlypavedexteriorareasRuralblockofland
68%17%7%6%1%
59%5%
15%18%3%
Features of a good place to live
ClosetoshopsandschoolsParksforkidstoplayFriendlypeopleClosetotransportSecure/lowcrime/safetyCleanairLeafy,green,tree-linedstreets
34%26%18%18%17%
5%1%
21%7%
24%14%33%14%9%
94 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Spanish
Media Profile Spanish Sample
Total NESB Sample
Television stations viewed most often
CommercialSBSABCOtherLOTEtelevisionPaytelevisionDonotwatchtelevisionOther/don’tknow
44%30%11%7%6%1%1%
56%16%
9%5%6%4%4%
Radio station listened to most often
LOTEradioDonotlistentoradioABCRadioEnglishcommercialradioOther/don’tknow
28%26%17%15%14%
33%19%8%
23%18%
MainLOTEstationnominated:SBS RadioOtherstationsnominatedwere:RadioAustralandRadioRio
Newspapers read most often
SydneyMorning/SunHeraldDaily/SundayTelegraphLOTEnewspapersLocalEnglishnewspaperOther/don’tknowTheAustralian/FinancialReviewDonotreadnewspapers
31%20%18%16%7%4%4%
20%16%34%10%10%2%9%
MainSpanishtitlenominated:Spanish HeraldOthertitlenominatedwas:ElEspanol
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
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4.CommunityProfiles–Vietnamese
VietnameseVietnamese-speakersmakeupthefifthlargestlanguagegroupinNSWandaroundaquarterofVietnamese-speakerswereborninAustralia.FairfieldlocalgovernmentareahasthelargestpopulationofVietnamese-speakerswith41%ofthoseinNSW.
InthesampleofVietnamese-speakersforthisstudythereweremorefemalesthaninthegeneralVietnamesepopulationinNSW(65%comparedto51%).AsmallerproportionofthesamplewasborninAustraliathanthegeneralVietnamesepopulation(4%comparedto25%inNSW)becausechildrenunder18werenotinterviewed,andthiswaslowcomparedtoanumberofotherlanguagegroupsinthestudy(fourgroupswereabout20%Australianbornandfourhadlessthan5%).
Vietnamese-speakersaresimilartothetotalsampleintheirratingoftheenvironmentasveryimportanttotheirlivesandtheenvironmentwasthesecondmostmentionedissueforgovernmentattentioncomparedtootherstate-wideissues,includingsocialissues.However,31%ofVietnamesespeakerswerenotveryornotatallconcernedaboutenvironmentalissues,whichissignificantlyhigherthanthetotalsample,21%wereconcernedagreatdeal,halfthelevelofthetotalsample.In1996,93%ofVietnamese-speakersratedtheenvironmentinAustraliabetterthantheirhomecountry,anindicationofthestandardagainstwhichenvironmentalproblemsinAustraliamaybemeasuredbyVietnamese-speakers.
Vietnamese-speakersgavesimilarresponsestothetotalsamplewhendiscussingimportantenvironmentalissues,nominatingwaterconservationandpollutionasthemostimportant.In1996airpollution,followedbytransportandstorageofdangerouschemicalswerethetopissues.ThenumberofVietnamese-speakerswhocouldnotnominateanenvironmentalissuehasdroppedfrom39%in1996to10%in2004.
Onquestionsofenvironmentalknowledge,Vietnamese-speakersweremorelikelythanthesampleaveragetoknowthatthegreenhouseeffectisnotcausedbyaholeintheEarth’satmosphereandthatleavesandgrassclippingspollutestormwater.LessVietnamese-speakersthananyothergroupknewthatover90%ofNSWelectricitycomesfromburningcoal.
OveronethirdofVietnamese-speakers(35%)couldnotnominateanypersonalenvironmentallydamagingbehaviours,comparedto26%ofthetotalsample.Ofthosewhocould,Vietnamese-speakersweremorelikelytosaythattheylitteredthanthetotalpopulation.
Whendefiningthefeaturesofagoodplacetolive,themostpopularresponseforVietnamese-speakerswastoliveinasecure,safeareawithlowcrime,nominatedby57%comparedwith32%ofthetotalsample.Vietnamese-speakerswerelesslikelytonominatefriendlypeopleorcleanaircomparedtothetotalsample.
Vietnamese-speakersnominatedgovernmentdepartmentsoragenciesveryreliablesourcesofenvironmentalinformationsignificantlymorethanthetotalsample.Environmentalgroupswerealsoseenasaveryreliablesource.Vietnamese-speakerswerelesslikelytoclassifytheirownchildrenandbilingualeducatorsasreliablesourcesofinformationthanotherrespondents.
Vietnamese-speakersweremorelikelytowatchcommercialtelevisionthanthetotalsamplebuttherewasalsoahigherincidenceofVietnamese-speakerswhodidnotwatchtelevisionatall.Vietnamese-speakerswerelesslikelytowatchSBSthanthetotalsample.
SixintenVietnamese-speakerslistenedtoLOTEradioregularly.Thisissignificantlyhigherthanthetotalsample(33%).ThemostpopularLOTEradiostationnominatedbyVietnamese-speakerswas2VNR.TherewasaslightlylowerincidenceofcommercialradiolistenersamongtheVietnamesesamplewhencomparedtothetotalsample.
ThemostpopularLOTEnewspaperwasChieu Duongwith52%respondingthattheyreadLOTEnewspapersregularly.Newspaperswerethemostpopularsourceofinformationabouttheenvironmentnominatedby57%.
96 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Vietnamese
Demographic ProfileSizeoflanguagegroupinNSW 67,881representing6%ofallnon-EnglishspeakersinNSW.
Maincountriesofbirth VietnamAustralia
69%25%
DistributioninNSW SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
97%3%
Genderprofile MaleFemale
49%51%
LocalGovernmentAreasinNSWwithlargestpopulation(TopfiveLGA’s)
Local Government Area
FairfieldBankstownLiverpoolCanterburyMarrickville
# persons
28,05011,8115,574
5,0683,714
% of LGA
16%7%4%4%5%
SpokenEnglishcompetenceinNSW Thosewhospeaknotwellornotatall 26,456 39%
Migrationhistory Vietnamesemigrationhasgrownsubstantiallysince1975followingtheendoftheVietnamWarinApril1975.Currentarrivalsarestillhigh,althoughmostlyinthefamily-reunioncategory.Englishlanguagecompetenceisaseriousissueinthiscommunity.
Environmental Profile Vietnamese Sample
Total NESB Sample
Ranking of environmental issues compared to other social issues
Note:Environmentincludedwaterconservation
Rank2(29%) Rank3(18%)
Percentage who rated environment as very important to their life 72% 71%
Level of concern about the environment
AgreatdealAfairamountNotverymuch/notatall
21%45%31%
42%40%17%
Reasons for concern
ConcernforfuturegenerationsHealtheffectsofpollutionQualityoflife
22%19%17%
31%22%23%
Single most important environmental issue
WaterconservationPollution(general)Don’tknowAirpollution(motorvehicleemissions)
36%10%10%8%
35%14%10%5%
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4.CommunityProfiles–Vietnamese
Environmental Profile Vietnamese Sample
Total NESB Sample
Environmentally friendly behaviours cited as engaged in often
MadeanefforttoreducewaterconsumptionTakenactivestepstoreduceenergyconsumptionPurchasedenergyefficientappliancesorlightglobesTakenactivestepstopreventstormwaterpollutionRecycledpaperand/orothermaterialsatworkDecidedtoreusesomethinginsteadofthrowingitawayTakenactivestepstoreducefuelconsumptionandvehicleemissionsChosenhouseholdproductsthatarebetterfortheenvironmentCompostedfoodand/orgardenrefuseAvoidedproductswithlotsofpackagingTriedtogetinformationaboutprotectingtheenvironmentAvoidedplasticbagstocarryshoppinghomeParticipatedinlocaldevelopmentorenvironmentalissues
81%78%67%65%55%45%41%32%27%27%23%17%
3%
77%67%47%64%59%54%37%41%26%34%19%33%
6%
Sources of information on environment classified as very reliable
EnvironmentandconservationgroupsGovernmentdepartmentsoragenciesLocalcouncilsCommunityservicegroupssuchasMigrantResourceCentresReligiousleadersYourchildrenBilingualeducatorsBusiness/industry
60%54%39%30%24%22%21%
2%
56%35%37%30%26%45%32%11%
Outdoor spaces around the home
Housewithlawnand/orgardensCourtyardstylegarden/mainlypavedexteriorareasFlatwithbalconyRuralblockoflandFlatwithnobalcony
58%28%
8%3%1%
59%18%15%3%5%
Features of a good place to live
Secure/lowcrime/safetyClosetoshopsandschoolsClosetotransportFriendlypeopleCleanairLeafy,green,tree-linedstreetsParksforkidstoplay
57%23%15%14%
5%1%0%
33%21%14%24%14%
9%7%
98 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
4.CommunityProfiles–Vietnamese
Media Profile Vietnamese Sample
Total NESB Sample
Television stations viewed most often
CommercialDonotwatchtelevisionSBSABCOther/don’tknowOtherLOTEtelevisionPaytelevision
76%12%7%4%1%0%0%
56%4%
16%9%4%5%6%
Radio station listened to most often
LOTEradioEnglishcommercialradioDonotlistentoradioABCRadioOther/don’tknow
61%17%15%4%4%
33%23%19%8%
18%
MainVietnamesestationnominated:2VNROtherstationsnominatedwere:VietnamSydneyRadio(2SER107.3)
Newspapers read most often
LOTEnewspapersSydneyMorning/SunHeraldDonotreadnewspapersDaily/SundayTelegraphLocalEnglishnewspaperOther/don’tknowTheAustralian/FinancialReview
52%17%12%9%9%2%0%
34%20%9%
16%10%10%1%
MainVietnamesetitlenominated:Chieu DuongOthertitlesnominatedwere:VietLuan,DanVietWeekly,SaigonTimes
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) 99
Toobtainacomprehensiverangeofinformationaswellasahighlevelofconfidenceintheindividualresultareas,thestudyinvolvedfivephases:
1. Ninefocusgroups(oneineachlanguagegroup,withseparategroupsforCantoneseandMandarin)todiscussenvironmentalissuesandprovidein-depthqualitativeinformationtoinformthesurveydesign.Allfocusgroupswerefacilitatedbybilingualresearchersinthelanguageofchoiceofparticipants.
2. Reviewingpreviousrelatedresearch(The Environment and NSW Ethnic Communities (1997)andtheWho Cares about the Environment?Series).
3. Identifyingquestionsdeemedrelevantforthenewsurvey.Theseincluded:
corequestionsfromprevioussurveys
newquestionsfromthe2003 Who Cares about the Environment?
newquestionsaboutemergingissues.
4. Pilottestingthenewquestionnaire.
5. Conductingaquantitativetelephonesurveyofapproximately100NSWpeoplefromeachoftheselectedcommunitieswhospokethetargetlanguageathome.
Thesurveyinstrumentwastranslatedintoeightcommunitylanguages.Interviewswereconductedinthelanguageofchoiceoftherespondent,withbilingualinterviewersconductingalloftheinterviews.Theinterviewsweremainlyconductedinthecommunitylanguageoftherespondentbut19%ofinterviewsareconductedinEnglish.Thepercentageineachlanguagegroupconductedinthecommunitylanguagewere:Arabic56%,Chinese94%,Greek93%,Italian59%,Korean,99%,Macedonian69%,Spanish80%andVietnamese94%.Telephoneinterviewswereconductedwith805peopleovertheageof18fromacrossNSW.TheNESB 1996 studyalsousedtelephoneinterviewsbutwithadultsover18yearsfrommetropolitanSydney.
Whilethewordingofsomequestionshasbeenmodifiedinsomecasesformoreconsistenttranslation,thewordingandstructureofthequestionnairesfromprevioussurveyshasbeenretainedasfaraspossibleforcorequestions.Thisistoensurecomparabilityintheresults,sothattrendchangesanddifferencescanbeidentifiedbetweenthestudies.
Thecorequestionswhichhavebeenaskedaimtoprovidethefollowing:
measuresofchangeovertimesincetheNESB1996 study
variationsbetweenthevariousnon-Englishspeakingbackgroundgroupsincludedinthestudy
comparisonswiththeWho Cares about the Environment?research(1997and2003)
acohesivedatasetcoveringknowledge,attitudesandbehaviour.
Thefinalquestionnairewaspilotedin21interviewstotesttheflowandcomprehensionofthequestionnaire.FormalfieldworkcommencedinJune2004andallsurveyswerecompetedbyJuly2004.
Thefinalinterviewlengthaveraged27minutes.Althoughthisislongerthanisusuallyadvisableincommunitysurveyresearch,fewpeoplestoppedtheinterviewpartwaythroughandfeedbackfrominterviewersshowedthatrespondentsmaintainedahighlevelofinterestinthesubject.
SamplingThesamplewasproducedbygeneratingarandomlistoftelephonenumbersfromtheelectronicversionoftheWhitePages,basedonethno-specificnamestemsineachofthelanguagegroups.
Inordertoqualifyforaninterview,respondentshadtospeakoneoftheninenominatedlanguagesathome(includingbothCantoneseandMandarinforChinese-speakers).Respondentswereselectedfromallhouseholdmembersaged18-70.Onlyonepersonperdwellingwasinterviewedandnosubstitutionbetweenhouseholdmemberswaspermittedoncetheinterviewhadcommenced.
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AppendixA:ResearchMethods
100 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
AppendixA:ResearchMethods
Significant differences
Giventhesizeofthetotalsample(805)andthesizeofthelanguagesub-groups(approximately100),thelevelofdifferencerequiredintheresultsforthatdifferencetobeclassedassignificant,differssubstantiallybetweenthetotalsampleandthesesub-groups.
Fortheoverallsampleof805respondents,themaximummarginoferroratthe95%confidencelevelistherangeof3.5%.Thisimpliesthatforaresponsefigureof50%,thetruefigurewillbebetween46.5%and53.5%in19cases
outof20,assumingthesampleisdrawninarepresentativefashion.
Quotasof100respondentsweresetforeachofthelanguagegroupstoensurethatseparateanalysiscouldbeconductedforeachofthelanguagegroups.AfurtherquotawassetfortheChineselanguagegrouptoensurethatequalnumbersofCantoneseandMandarin-speakingrespondentswereincludedinthesample.Themaximummarginoferrorforindividuallanguagegroupsatthe95%confidencelevelistherangeof 9.8%.Thismeansthatthereneedstobe19.6percentagepointsdifferencebetweenlanguagegroupsintheNESB2004 studyforonelanguagegrouptobesignificantlydifferentfromanotherinagivencategory.
Differencesofmorethan13.5percentagepointsbetweenonelanguagegroupandtheresultsforthetotalsampleNESB2004studyresultsaresignificant.
Differencesofmorethan7.5percentagepointsbetweentheNESB 1996 studyandNESB2004studyresultsaresignificant.
Differencesofmorethan6.1percentagepointsbetweentheWho Cares? 2003studyandNESB2004studyresultsaresignificant.
Demographic groupingsThedemographicfindingsboxesinSection3(MainFindings)considersignificantdifferencesinfourdemographiccategories:
Ageandgender–peopleareclassifiedasagedunder35,35-54or55andover,andasmaleorfemale.
Education–peoplewereaskedthehighestlevelofschoolingtheyhadcompleted:
noformalschooling,primaryschool,somesecondaryschool
secondaryschool
tradeortechnicalqualifications
universityorCAEdiploma,degreeorhigherdegree(tertiary).
Peoplewerethenclassifiedashavingnotcompletedsecondaryschool,completedsecondaryschoolortertiaryqualified.
Englishlanguageproficiency–peoplewereaskedtoratetheirEnglishlanguagecompetence:
cannotspeak,readorwrite
canspeakwell,butnotreadorwritewell
canspeakabit,butcannotreadorwrite
canspeak,readandwriteEnglishwell.
Peoplewerethenclassifiedasfluent(canspeak,readandwriteEnglishwell)ornotfluentinEnglish.
Recencyofarrival–peoplewereaskedwhentheymigratedtoAustralia:
borninAustralia
arrivedbefore1980
arrived1981-1990
arrived1991-2004.
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The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW) 101
The Environment and Ethnic Communities in 2004
AppendixA:ResearchMethods
TABLE 14
Demographic profile of the sample
SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE
2004
Ara
bic
n =
101
2004
Chi
nese
n =
102
2004
Gre
ek n
= 1
00
2004
Ital
ian
n =
100
2004
Ko
rean
n =
100
2004
Mac
edo
nian
n =
100
2004
Sp
anis
h n
= 1
00
2004
Vie
tnam
ese
n =
102
NE
SB
200
4 T
OTA
L n
= 8
05
NE
SB
199
6 T
OTA
L n
= 6
01
Who
Car
es?
2003
NE
SB
To
tal n
= 9
6
Who
Car
es?
2003
To
tal n
= 1
421
Percent (%)
GenderMale 43 34 45 42 32 54 49 35 42 49 56 50
Female 57 66 55 58 68 46 51 65 58 51 44 50
Age
18-34 47 29 11 10 32 30 16 26 25 27 61 39
35-54 38 53 22 23 53 44 43 57 42 42 28 41
55+ 14 18 67 67 15 26 40 17 33 30 11 20
Countryofbirth
Australia 20 4 19 22 1 22 1 4 12 9
Workstatus
Inpaidwork 46 49 36 37 36 70 59 55 48 * 52 65
Student 10 18 1 2 16 2 1 6 7 * 32 10
Retired/agepensioner 7 11 45 44 6 17 26 7 20 * 8 11
Otherpensioner 2 0 7 4 0 3 1 2 2 * 2 2
Homeduties 20 13 3 10 37 1 10 28 15 * 6 8
Unemployed/lookingforwork 14 7 2 1 1 5 2 3 4 * 0 3
Education
Didnotcompletehighschool 24 6 67 69 1 29 9 30 30 45 5 21
Completedhighschool 28 29 10 13 22 37 34 39 27 23 33 25
Trade/technical 19 12 12 8 7 13 32 8 14 12 8 15
University 30 51 11 10 68 21 25 22 30 19 53 39
Areaofresidence
SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD) 93 96 83 70 99 60 77 97 85 * * *
OutsideSydney(SD) 7 4 17 30 1 40 23 3 15 * * *
Englishlanguageproficiency**
Cannotspeak,readorwrite 5 8 3 7 6 5 6 12 6 * * *
Canspeakabit,butnotreadorwrite
11 30 40 31 33 12 15 45 27 * * *
Canspeakwell,butnotreadorwritewell
13 17 21 9 37 32 16 22 21 * * *
Canspeak,readandwrite 71 47 36 51 24 51 63 22 46 * * *
FluentinspokenEnglish 84 64 57 60 61 83 79 44 67 66 100 100
FluentinwrittenEnglish 71 47 36 51 24 51 63 22 46 55 * *
* Data not available
** English language proficiency question was asked differently in 1996 and 2004. In 1996 respondents were asked to rate their spoken English according to the criteria below. They were also asked to rate their written English under the same criteria:
1. very good, 2. good, 3. not very good, 4. not at all.
In 2004 it was decided to use less subjective categories and respondents were asked to rate their written and spoken English according to the categories detailed in the above table.
To compare the spoken English samples the first two categories for 1996 and the last two in 2004 above were combined to give a spoken English: well category.
To compare the written English samples the first two categories for the NESB 1996 study were combined and compared with the last category only for the NESB 2004 study.
In the Who Cares? 2003 sample all of the NESB respondents spoke English well. They were not asked to rate their written language skills.
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ThesamplewasnotweightedagainstAustralianBureauofStatistics2001Censusestimates.Todothiswouldrequiretheweightingoftheindividuallanguagegroupsaccordingtotheage,gender,location,andEnglishlanguageproficiencyprofileoftheindividualcommunities.Giventhesamplesizeofn=100perlanguagegroup,therewereconcernsaboutthedataqualityresultingfromweightingsuchsmallsamples.
ThedemographicprofileofthesampleappearsinTable14.Itprofileseachoflanguagegroupsaswellasthetotalsample.Inadditionthetotalsampleforthe2004studyiscomparedtothetotalsampleofthe1996studyofNSWNESBresidentsandthe2003 Who Cares about the Environment?study.Asmuchaspossible,differencesinresponsesbetweenthesesampleswereconsideredagainstthesesamplevariations.
Table15outlinesthevariousdwellingtypesoftherespondentsinthesample,bylanguagegroup.
TABLE 15
Outdoor spaces around the home: NESB 2004A
rab
ic
Chi
nese
Gre
ek
Ital
ian
Ko
rean
Mac
edo
nian
Sp
anis
h
Vie
tnam
ese
Tota
l
Percent (%)
Flatwithnobalcony 5 5 3 0 6 0 17 1 4
Flatwithbalcony 13 33 13 5 29 9 7 8 15
Courtyardstylegarden(mainlypaved) 12 17 37 18 7 20 6 28 18
Housewithlawnsandgardens 64 43 43 66 57 70 68 58 59
Houseonruralblockofland 3 1 4 11 1 1 1 3 3
Key differences across the sampleThereareanumberofdifferencesacrossthesamples,bothbetweenlanguagegroupsandbetweenthesamplesofthedifferentstudies.
Differences between languages
ThesamplesofChinese,KoreanandVietnameserespondentswereskewedmoretowardfemales(aroundtwothirds)thantheotherlanguagegroups.
TheGreekandItaliansamplesweresignificantlyolderthantheothersamples.Thisreflectsthemigrationpatternsofthesecommunities,wherethemajorwaveofmigrationwasinthe1950s.AsaresultanumberofresidentsofItalianandGreekbackgroundarepartofEnglish-speakinghouseholds.
AroundoneinfiveArabic,Greek,ItalianandMacedonian-speakersinthesamplewereborninAustralia,comparedtolessthan5%ofChinese,Korean,SpanishandVietnameserespondents.Againthisreflectsthemigrationpatternsofthecommunities.
Morethantwo-thirdsofGreekandItalian-speakingrespondentsdidnotcompletehighschool.
TheKorean(68%)andChinese-speaking(51%)respondentsweresignificantlymorelikelytobeuniversityeducatedthantheotherlanguagegroupsincludedinthesample.
OveralltheVietnameseandKorean-speakingrespondentshadthepoorestEnglishlanguageproficiencyofthesample,withmorethanthreequartersindicatingsomedifficultywithaspectsofwrittenorspokenEnglish.However,moretheKorean-respondents(61%)reportedspokenEnglishcompetencethantheVietnamese-speakers(44%).
TheArabic,SpanishandMacedonian-speakersreportedthehighestEnglishlanguagecompetence.
TheKoreanandChinese-speakingrespondentsweremorelikelytoliveinaflatwithabalconythanotherlanguagegroups.
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TheSpanish-speakingrespondentswerethemostlikelytoliveinaflatwithnobalcony(17%).
TheGreek-speakersinthesamplewerethemostlikelytohaveacourtyardstylegardenwithmainlypavedorconcreteexteriorareas.
Differences between the NESB 2004 study and the NESB 1996 study
Therearemorefemalesrepresentedinthe2004study(58%)comparedtothe1996study(51%).
Therearemoreuniversity-educatedrespondentsinthe2004study(30%comparedto19%in1996).ThisisduetothefactthatKoreanrespondentswereincludedinthesampleforthefirsttimein2004.TheKoreanrespondentsweresignificantlymorelikelytobeuniversityeducated(68%)thantheotherlanguagegroupsrepresentedinthesample.
The2004samplewerelesslikelytoreportgoodwrittenEnglishskills(46%comparedto55%in1996).
Therewerenosignificantvariationsbetweenthe2004and1996samplesinrelationtospokenEnglish;borninAustralia;orage.
Comparisonswerenotpossiblebetweentheindividuallanguagegroupssamplesforthetwostudies,asthe1996datawasunavailable.
Differences between the NESB 2004 study and the sample of NESB respondents in the Who Cares? 2003 studyTherewereanumberofmajordifferencesbetweenthedemographicprofileoftheNESBrespondentsintheWho Cares?2003sample(i.e.respondentsfromnon-EnglishspeakingbackgroundswhowereabletocompletethetelephonesurveyinEnglish).Thesedifferencesareoutlinedbelow,andsuggestthattheNESBrespondentsintheWho Cares?2003sampleweremuchmorelikelytobesecondorthirdgenerationAustralians(giventheirageandEnglishlanguageproficiencyprofile)thantherespondentsintheNESB 2004 study,wherethemajoritywerefirstgenerationmigrantstoAustralia.
TheNESBcomponentofthe Who Cares?2003sampleisskewedtowardsmales(56%),whereasthesampleoftheNESB 2004 studyisskewedtowardfemales(58%).
TheNESBrespondentsintheWho Cares?2003samplearesignificantlyyoungerthantherespondentsintheNESB 2004 study.Morethansixinten(61%)werebetween18-34comparedwith25%intheNESB 2004 study.
TheNESBrespondentsintheWho Cares?2003samplewerealsosignificantlymorelikelytobestudents(32%,comparedto7%)andtertiaryeducated(50%,comparedto30%)thantherespondentsintheNESB 2004 study.
Differences between the NESB 2004 study and the total sample of the Who Cares? 2003 studyThereareafewnotabledifferencesbetweentheNESB 2004 studyandthetotalsampleoftheWho Cares?2003study.
TherearemorefemalesrepresentedintheNESB 2004 sample(58%)whencomparedtothetotalWho Cares? 2003sample(50%).
TherespondentsintheWho Cares?2003 samplewereslightlyyoungerthantherespondentsintheNESB 2004 study(39%between18-34years,comparedto25%).
TherespondentsintheWho Cares?2003samplewerealsomorelikelytobeinpaidwork(65%)thantherespondentsintheNESB 2004 study(48%).
TherespondentsintheWho Cares?2003samplewerealsomorelikelytobetertiaryeducated(39%)thantherespondentsintheNESB 2004 study(30%).
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Differences between the individual language samples and the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2001 Census 2001.
Section4ofthisreportpresentsademographicprofileofeachofthelanguagegroupsincludedintheresearchbasedonAustralianBureauofStatistics2001censusdata.Table16comparesthedemographicprofileofeachcommunitysampletotheNSWpopulationbygenderanddistributioninNSW.
ItisnotpossibletocompareEnglishlanguagecompetenceofthesampletothatoftheNSWpopulation(seenotestoTable14).
TABLE 16
Comparison – language group samples and nSw population
Sample (%) Census (%) Sample (%) Census (%)
ArabicMaleFemale
4357
5248
SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
937
982
ChineseMaleFemale
3466
4852
SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
964
964
GreekMaleFemale
4555
5050
SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
8317
7228
ItalianMaleFemale
4258
5050
SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
7030
828
KoreanMaleFemale
3268
4852
SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
991
982
MacedonianMaleFemale
5446
5149
SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
6040
6535
SpanishMaleFemale
4951
4852
SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
7723
9010
VietnameseMaleFemale
3565
4951
SydneyStatisticalDistrict(SD)OutsideSydneySD
973
973
Table16shows:
Thefollowingsamplesareskewedtowardfemales(bymorethanfivepercentagepointswhencomparedtoAustralianBureauofStatisticsNSWpopulationdata):
Arabic
Chinese
Italian
Korean
Vietnamese
TheGreeksampleisskewedtowardthosewholiveintheSydneyStatisticalDistrict(bymorethanfivepercentagepointswhencomparedtoAustralianBureauofStatisticsNSWpopulationdata).
TheSpanishandItaliansamplesareskewedtowardthosewholiveoutsidetheSydneyStatisticalDistrict(bymorethanfivepercentagepointswhencomparedtoABSNSWpopulationdata).
Focus groupsNinefocusgroupslastingfromtwototwo-and-a-halfhourswereheldinDecember2003toprovideanin-depthcontexttothetelephonesurveyfindingsandtoinformthedevelopmentofthetelephonesurveyinstrument.AllfocusgroupswereconductedinSydney.
Onefocusgroupwasconductedforeachofthelanguagegroupswithpeoplewhospokethatlanguageathome,andconsistedofpeopleofdifferentagesandgenders.Bilingualresearchersfacilitatedallofthefocusgroups,inthecommunitylanguageoftheparticipants.
ThediscussionguideforthefocusgroupsisincludedinAppendixC.Excerptsfromthediscussionsareprovidedthroughoutthereport.
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Goodmorning/afternoon/evening.Mynameis[firstnameonly].I'mcallingfromI-view.WeareconductingsocialresearchaboutlifestyleinAustralia.Iwaswonderingiftherewasanybodyathomeover18yearsoldwhospeaksalanguageotherthanEnglishathome.Ifyes,askwhichlanguage.
Q1 RecordLanguageSpokenatHome Arabic Cantonese Greek Italian Korean Macedonian Mandarin Spanish Vietnamese CLOSEIFDOESN’TSPEAKANYOFTHESELANGUAGES
Thesurveywilltake20minutesandiscompletelyconfidential.Canyouhelpmeout?
Great,allmyquestionstodayrequireonlyshortanswers.Ifyoudon'twishtoansweraquestion,that'sfine.Justtellmeandwecanmoveontotheotherquestions.
Wemayatanytimeduringthisinterviewbelistenedtobymysupervisorforqualitycontrolprocedures.
(Notethatquestionwithoutoptionsinthisquestionnairewereunpromptedquestions.)
Q2 WhatwouldyousayaretheTWOMOSTIMPORTANTissuesforattentionbytheNSWGovernmentatpresent?
Q3 Nowthinkingaheadabouttenyears,whatdoyouthinkwillbethetwomostimportantissuesforattentionbytheStateGovernmentatthattime?
Q4 Foreachofthefollowing,pleasetellmehowimportantitisinyourlifebyusingthescale,where1meansveryimportant,2ratherimportant,3notveryand4meansnotatall
1. Family 2. Friends 3. Leisuretime 4. Politics 5. Environment 6. Work 7. Religion 8. Servicetoothers
Q5 Foryou,whatarethetwomostimportantcharacteristicsthatmakeanareaaniceplacetolive?
Q6 WhatdoyouthinkisthesinglemostimportantenvironmentalissuefacingNSWtoday?
Q7 Whatdoyouthinkisthesecondmostimportantenvironmentalissue?
Q8 Whataretheenvironmentalissuesthataffectyourlocalarea?….Anythingelse?
Q8a (IfmorethanoneissuementionedinQ8)Oftheissuesthatyoujustmentioned,whatisthemostimportanttoyou?
Q9 Ingeneral,howconcernedareyouaboutenvironmentalproblems?Wouldyousayyouare: 1. Veryconcerned 2. Fairlyconcerned 3. Notveryconcerned 4 Notconcernedatall
AppendixB:Questionnaire
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AppendixB:Questionnaire
Q10 Whichofthefollowingbestdescribeswhyyouareconcerned? 1. Healtheffectsofpollution 2. Qualityoflife 3. Concernforfuturegenerations 4. Maintainingeco-systems–nature,plants,animals 5. Orsomethingelse(specify)
Q11 Iamnowgoingtoreadyououtalistofstatements.ForeachoneIwouldlikeyoutellmeifyouthinkitisTrueorFalse.
a. TheGreenhouseEffectiscausedbyaholeintheEarthsatmosphere. b. MuchmorewaterinNSWisusedforagriculturethanfordomesticandmanufacturingcombined. c. Leavesandgrassclippingsdonotpollutestormwaterbecausetheyarenatural. d. Productsmadeoutofrecycledmaterialsareusuallyoflowerquality. e. Over90%ofNSW'selectricitycomesfromburningcoal. f. Mostbackyardspidersaredangeroustopeople. g. Nativebirdsandanimalscannotsurviveincitiesandtownsunlesswefeedthem.
Q12 Mostofus,inonewayoranother,probablydothingsthatmaybebadfortheenvironment.Thismightbeathome,inourwork,leisureactivities,etc.Whatwouldyousayarethemostdamagingthingsthatyoudo,fromanenvironmentalpointofview,inthewayyouliveandwork?……Anythingelse?
Q13 Doingtherightthingfortheenvironmentisnotalwayseasyforpeopleintoday’sbusyworld.Differentpeoplefindtheycandodifferentthingsand,perhapsforpeopleinsomesituations,thereisnotalottheycanreallydo.FromthelistofthingsI’llreadout,canyoupleasetellmeforeachonewhetherornotinthepast12monthsyouhave1-oftendonethat;2-sometimesdoneit;3-justoccasionallydoneit;or4-neverdonethat?
a. Decidedtoreusesomethinginsteadofthrowingitaway. b. Avoidedplasticbagstocarryshoppinghome. c. Compostedfoodand/orgardenrefuse. d. Whendoingtheshopping,triedtoavoidproductswithlotsofpackaging. e. Chosenhouseholdproductsthatyouthinkarebetterfortheenvironment. f. Madeanefforttoreducewaterconsumption. g. Recycledpaperand/orothermaterialsatwork. h. Takenactivestepstopreventstormwaterpollution,forexamplebynotwashingyourcarinthestreet,ornot
puttingleavesorlitterdownthedrain. i. Takenactivestepstoreduceenergyconsumption,forexamplebyturningofflights,andusingappliances
orhomeheatingandcoolingmoreefficiently. j. Purchasingenergy-efficientappliancesorlightglobes. k. Takenactivestepstoreducefuelconsumptionandvehicleairpollution,forexamplebycar-pooling,using
publictransport,bicyclingorwalking. l. Triedtogetinformationonsometopicaboutprotectingtheenvironment. m. Participatedinlocaldevelopmentorenvironmentalissueswiththeaimofprotectingorimprovingthe
environment,i.e.bywritingaletter,attendingameeting,etc. n. Keptyourcatinsideatnight.
Q14 YoumentionedthatyouoftendoA,F,H,I,J,K(Q13).Canyourememberwhatpromptedyoutostartdoingthat?…..Anythingelse?
Q15 Youmentionedyounever/justoccasionallydoB,C,D,E,F(Q13).Whatarethemainreasonswhyyoudon’t,ordon’toften,dothis?….Anythingelse?
Q16 Howdoyoumainlygetinformedaboutenvironmentalissues? (Television,radio,newspapers,brochures,andinternetprobedforEnglish,languageorboth).
Q17 Iwillreadyoualistofpeopleororganisationsinthecommunitywhomayprovideuswithinformationonissuesrelatingtotheenvironment.Ingeneral,howreliabledoyouthinkinformationfromeachofthesesourceswouldbe?Wouldyousayinformationfrom…wouldbeveryreliable,fairlyreliable,fairlyunreliableorveryunreliable?
1. Localcouncils 2. Schools 3. Business/industry 4. Scientistsandtechnicalspecialists 5. Governmentdepartmentsoragencies 6. Environmentalandconservationgroups
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AppendixB:Questionnaire
7. CommunityservicegroupssuchasMigrantResourceCentres 8. Yourchildren 9. Othermembersofyourfamily,neighboursorfriends 10.Religiousleaders,churches,etc 11.Mediapersonalities 12.Bilingualeducators
Q18 Wherewouldyoumostliketoreceiveinformationabouttheenvironment? (television,radio,newspapers,brochures,andinternetprobedforEnglish,languageorboth).
Q19 Ifyouwatchtelevision,whattelevisionstationdoyouwatchthemost?
Q20 Ifyoulistentoradio,whatstationdoyoulistentothemost?
Q21 Ifyoureadnewspapers,whatpaperdoyoureadthemost?
Q22 Whichofthefollowingstatementsbestdescribestheoutdoorareasaroundyourhome? 1. Iliveinaflatwithnobalcony. 2. Iliveinaflatwithabalcony. 3. Ihaveacourtyardstylegarden,orahousewithmainlypavedorconcreteexteriorareas. 4. Ihaveahousewithlawnand/orgardens. 5. Ihaveahouseonaruralblockofland. 6. Other.
Q23 Iamgoingtoreadoutalistofitems,andIwouldlikeyoutotellmewhichonesapplytoyou. 1. Ihaveacompostheap/binorwormfarm. 2. Igrowvegetables,fruitorherbs. 3. IgrowAustraliannativeplants. 4. Ientertaininmybackyardmorethan4timesperyear. 5. Ihaveplayequipmentinmybackyardforchildren.Q24 Inwhatcountrywereyouborn?
Q25 WhatyeardidyoubeginlivinginAustralia?
Q26 Whatisyourcurrentworkstatus?
Q27 Whatisthehighestlevelofeducationyouhaveachieved?
Q28 Intowhichofthefollowingagegroupsdoyoufit? Lessthan18 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 Over65
Q29 HowcompetentareyouinEnglish? 1. Cannotspeak,readorwrite 2. Canspeakabit,butcan’treadorwrite 3. Canspeakwell,butnotreadorwritewell 4. Canspeak,readandwritewell
Q30 Finally,inwhatpostcodedoyoulive?
Q31 RECORDgenderofparticipant.
108 DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(NSW)
Concern for the environment1. Whatdoyouthinkarethemajorissuesofconcernforyourcommunity?
2. WhenIsaythewordenvironment,whataresomeofthethingsthatyouthinkof?
3. Doyouthinkenvironmentalissuesareanissueofconcernforthecommunity?Whatsortofthingsareofconcern?
4. Whataresomeoftheenvironmentalconcernsthataffectyourlocalarea?
5. Whydoyouthinkpeopleareconcernedabouttheenvironment?
Use of the environment6. Whataresomeofthethingsthatyouenjoy/don’tenjoyaboutwhereyoulive?
Promptforboth: Street
Suburb
7. Thinkingaboutyourownhome(rememberthatsomepeoplemaynothaveabackyardandbelivinginaunitsotheywouldnotbeabletoanswerthisquestion):
Whatdoyoulike/enjoyaboutit?
Isthereanythingyouwouldliketobedoinginyourhomeorbackyardthatyouarenotcurrentlydoing?
Whataresomeofthingsyoudon’tlike?
Howdoesthewayyouuseyourhome/backyardherecomparewithyourhomecountry?
Whatkindofanimals/insectsaredesirableinyourbackyard/localarea.Whichonesareundesirable?
8. Thinkingabouttheparksaroundyourhomeandtheoutdoorsgenerally:
Wheredoyouvisit?
Whatoutdooractivitiestoyouengagein?
[Prompts: camping; walking; swimming; picnics; playing sport; cycling; children’s play areas]
Howdoesthiscomparewithyourhomecountry?
Isthereanythingthatstopsyouusingtheoutdoorenvironment?
Whataresomeofthingsyoudon’tlike?
Behaviour9. Doyoudoanythingtohelp/lookaftertheenvironment?Ifsowhatactionsdoyoudo(couldbeathomeorwork)?
(Recordresponsesonbutcherspaper).Recordunpromptedfirst,andthenprompt:
When prompting, if a behaviour is mentioned, probe to determine whether this was not mentioned because participants don’t see it as an environmentally responsible action – rather “something that they just do” (either to save money, out of habit or otherwise)
For each behaviour engaged in:
10. Whatmadeyoudecidetoengageinthisbehaviour,oristhissomethingthatyouhavealwaysdone?EXPLOREFULLY,i.e.
Canyourememberwhenyouchangedyourbehaviour?Whathappened?Askforspecificexamples.
Ifsomethingalwaysdone–whydoyoudoit?Doyouseeitasanenvironmentallyresponsibleaction?
Whointhefamilytakesresponsibilityfortheaction?(i.e.whotakesoutthegarbage,whopaystheenergybill,whobuystheappliances,whodoesthecomposting?)
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AppendixC:QualitativeDiscussionGuide
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Put up butchers paper with pre-prepared list as below.
Householdrecyclingsystem
Compostkitchenscraps,gardencuttingsandlawnclippings
Buyenergyefficientproducts
Reduceelectricityconsumptionbyturningoflightsforexample
Askedforenergy(saving)advice
InvestigatedRenewableEnergyforyourhome
Plantingmygardentoattractnativebirdsandotheranimals
Reducedmyuseofchemicalsinthegarden
Igrowmyownfood.
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Wasteavoidance(how?)takeownshoppingbags,andavoidingproductswithexcesspackaging;Recycledsomethingratherthanthrowitout
Reducingwaterconsumption(how?)
Reducinguseofcar(how?)
Accessedinformationaboutprotectingtheenvironment(how?)
Writtenaletter,signedapetition
Joinedorsupportedanenvironmentalgroup
Keptcatsinsidetokeepthemawayfromnativebirdsandanimals
Keptdogonaleadwhenoutinparksandstreets.
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Then read out:
Someofthepeopleinthegroupengageinsomeoftheseactionsandothersdon’t.ThatisOK.Whatwewanttofindoutiswhysomepeopledocertainthingsandnotothers.
11. Isthereanythingthatyouwouldliketodobutarenotdoing/cannotdo?Whynot?(Facilitator can prompt specific actions that were not identified. Probe: Too hard, too costly, not enough time, don’t want to, different problwem/solution from country of origin?)
12. Whichofthesedoyouthinkitcostsmoretodo?Whichoneswouldsaveyoumoney?
13. Whichofthesedoyouthinkareeasytodo?Whichonesarehard?
14. Whattypeofpersonengagesinthesebehaviours?Doesthisdifferfordifferentactionse.g.personwhocompoststheirorganicwaste,comparedwithapersonwhojoinsanenvironmentalgroup?
15. Whatdoyouthinktheconsequencesareofnotdoinganyofthethingswehavejustdiscussed?[Probe for local area versus global]
Understanding and Attitudes16. Whenitcomestolookingaftertheenvironment,whoseresponsibilityisit?Promptforindividual,state/federal
government,environmentalorganisations.RefertodescriptionofenvironmentgeneratedfromQuestion2.
17. Whoorwhatcausesenvironmentalproblems(whoisdoingtheirshare,whoisn’t?).
18. Doyouthinkthattherearethingsthatyoudopersonallythatcouldbeseenasharmfultotheenvironment?
19. PLEASEREAD:“Gasesintheearth'satmospherecapturethesunsenergy,whichkeepstheEarth'stemperatureatalevelnecessarytosupportlife.Humanactivity–particularlyburningfossilfuels(coal,oilandnaturalgas)andlandclearing–isgeneratingexcessiveamountsofgreenhousegases,trappingmoreheat,raisingtheEarth'ssurfacetemperature,andcausingweatherpatternsandclimatestochange.”
a. Haveyouheardofthisphenomenon?
b. Whatdoyouknowitas(greenhouseeffect,globalwarming,climatechange,other.....)?
c. Areyouconcernedaboutit?
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AppendixC:QualitativeDiscussionGuide
20. Iamgoingtoreadoutanumberofwords,andIwantyoutodiscusstogetherwhateachofthemmean.
Salinity
Waterconservation
Sustainablelifestyles
Information21. Wherehaveyouheardinformationabouttheenvironmentbefore?Probefully:
Whatmedia?Whatmessages?
Whichpeople?Whatmessages?
Whatorganisations?Whatmessages?
Ontheirenergybills?Otherutilities?Whatmessages?
22. Whoarethemostreliablesourcesofinformationabouttheenvironment?
23. Areyouawareofinitiativesthatprotecttheenvironmentthatarehappeninginyourcommunity?Havetheseeverinterestedyou?Why/whynot?
24. Haveyouevervolunteeredforanythinginyourcommunity(environmentorotheractivity)?Why/whynot?What,ifanything,wouldmakeyouwanttovolunteerinyourcommunity?
25. Haveyoueversoughtoutinformationabouttheenvironment?Wheredidyougo?
26. Ifnot,who/wherewouldyougotofindoutmoreaboutaparticularissueregardingtheenvironment?
27. Isthereanythinginparticularthatyouwouldliketoknowaboutminimisingyourimpactontheenvironment?
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