Asian Political and Social Attitudes
Asian NZers now comprise 6.6 percent of the total NZ population. They are becoming increasingly important players in NZ politics. Yet, up to now, not a lot has been known about the political behaviours and preferences of Asian NZers. In an effort to understand what drives Asian NZers, an Auckland University student, as part of a PhD thesis, has conducted the first nationwide survey on the political participation of Asian NZers.
The survey examined the political and social attitudes and activities of 915 Korean and Chinese NZers from Korea, People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Malaysia. Respondents were selected randomly from the Parliamentary Electoral Data, and were therefore restricted to those who are NZ citizens or permanent residents who have registered to vote. The survey was conducted from 11 August-19 September 2003.
Political Issues
The voting turnout for Asian NZers (75.6 percent) was almost as high as the turnout for the general NZ population (77 percent). This result has come of something as a surprise, given that the turnout for Asian immigrants in other Western countries (such as the US) is usually lower than the general population. Possible reasons for Asian NZer's high turnout includes:
- an electoral system that encourages participation (MMP/PR system, permanent residents with right to vote, compulsory enrolment);
- mobilisation efforts by political parties (Asian candidates, campaigns targeting Asian voters);
- high socio-economic status of Asian NZers (high income and educational qualification); and
- positive attitudes of Asian NZers (high level of satisfaction and trust in NZ politics, appreciation of the need to participate in politics).
Participation rate in other political activities was, however, quite low. The most common form of political activity was signing petitions (13.3 percent), followed by working in the community to solve a problem (8.6 percent), and assisting in a political campaign (5.8 percent).
The party identification rate for Asian NZers, at 44 percent, was similar to that of the general NZ population, 46.1 percent of whom identified themselves with a political party. There was no strong preference for a particular party among those who showed general support for a political party, with 46.8 percent supporting Labour and 40.1 percent National. Act was the most popular small party among Asian NZers (6.0 percent), followed by United Future (2.5 percent).
In the 2002 election, more Asian NZers voted for Labour for a party vote (51.4 percent compared with 34.9 percent for National), but National was a more popular choice for an electorate vote (42.8 percent compared with 38.4 percent for Labour). Again, Act (6.9 percent and 7.2 percent) and United Future (3.6 percent and 4.4 percent) gained most of the votes as small parties from Asian NZers.
Asian NZers showed a high level of interest in NZ politics. Nearly 90 percent of the respondents indicated that they were (very, fairly or somewhat) interested in NZ politics. Nearly 95 percent of the respondents believed that there is a need for Asian NZers to participate in NZ politics.
For Asian NZers, TV news and local ethnic newspapers were the two most common sources of political information. The economy and law and order were the two most important issues for Asian NZers, followed by unemployment and health.
Feelings of "political helplessness" were prevalent among Asian NZers. Three quarters of the respondents felt that Asian interests are not well represented in NZ. Two thirds of the respondents also believed that it is harder for Asians to participate in NZ politics, and nearly 90 percent of the respondents indicated that they have very little or no influence on government policies in NZ.
Despite the feelings of political helplessness, a high level of political satisfaction and trust was recorded. More than 90 percent of the respondents showed satisfaction with the way democracy works in NZ, whereas fewer than 50 percent showed satisfaction with their home country's democracy. Nearly 90 percent of the respondents showed trust in NZ government officials, and 70 percent indicated that they trust NZ officials more than officials in their home countries.
Most Asian NZers supported the provision of job training and bilingual services for Asian NZers by the government, but there was a considerably lower level of support for a race-based preferential (quota) system for Asian NZers.
Nearly two-thirds of the respondents believed that Asian MPs would be better in representing Asian interests than Pakeha or Maori MPs, and 60 percent of the respondents believed that there should be more Asian MPs in NZ. However, less than 40 percent of the respondents showed support for a separate ethnic minority party (for example, an Asian party).
Social Issues
Nearly 85 percent of the respondents indicated that they have some level of interaction with Pakeha NZers, although the interaction rate was considerably lower for Maori (37 percent) and Pacific Islanders (34 percent). Contrary to the popular belief that Asian NZers cluster among themselves, only 15 percent of the respondents belonged to an ethnic community group, and only 30 percent to an ethnic religious group.
More than 85 percent of the respondents planned to live in NZ in the next 10 years. But they remained in close contact with their home countries, with about 85 percent of the respondents contacting friends and family back home and following news at home at least once a month, if not more frequently.
Nearly half of the respondents regarded language difficulties as the biggest problem facing Asian NZers, followed by lack of job opportunities and racial discrimination. Almost three quarters of the respondents indicated that they use their native language at home. Less than 40 percent of the respondents indicated that they speak English fluently.
More than three quarters of the respondents agreed with a statement that what happens generally to other Asians in NZ would also happen to them, indicating that a pan-ethnic Asian identity may be developing. However, four in five respondents chose to identify themselves in ethnic terms (for example, Chinese or Chinese NZer) rather than in pan-ethnic terms (for example, Asian or Asian NZer).
Four out of five respondents indicated that they have experienced discrimination in NZ. The most common source of discrimination was passer-by in public. Almost 10 percent of those who experienced discrimination in NZ identified the police or other government authorities as the source of discrimination. Of those who experienced discrimination, only 10 percent indicated that they have reported (or taken actions over) the incident. More than half of those who have not reported discrimination said that they did not report the incident because they felt that reporting would not make any difference.
Less than 20 percent of the respondents felt that the NZ media fairly portrays their home countries "most of the time". Nearly 25 percent indicated that the media "never" portrays their home countries fairly, with 40 percent choosing "sometimes".
A Profile of Respondents
- Of the 915 respondents, 389 were from Korea, 234 from People's Republic of China, 103 from Hong Kong, 65 from Taiwan, 27 from Malaysia, and 14 from other countries.
- Almost all (97 percent) of the respondents were foreign-born. Only 5 percent of the respondents have lived in NZ for more than 15 years.
- More women (54.4 percent) than men (45.6 percent) responded to the survey. People over 40 (62 percent) participated more in the survey than people under 40 (38 percent).
- Respondents in general had a high socio-economic status. More than 75 percent had a tertiary level education, and almost two thirds owned a property either in NZ or overseas.
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