Welcome, Belonging and Social Integration Among Newly Arrived Refugees in Australia 2020

Unlike other studies that focus on refugees’ education, employment, English proficiency and health, this study shines a light on under-researched social and civic dimensions of refugee integration. The project explores the sense of welcome and belonging as experienced by refugees who have been residents in Australia for less than two years by assessing the domains of social bonds, social bridges and social links, with a specific focus on digital inclusion. Building on a pilot partnership between ICS and Settlement Services International in 2019, the long-term aim of this research is to generate a continuum of data on refugees' sense of belonging in Australia, with barometer surveys at regular intervals.

Researchers:

Funding: Settlement Services International

Period: 2020-2021

Contact: Associate Professor Shanthi Robertson

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Research at ICS

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The Institute for Culture and Society is located in Parramatta, “the place where the eel sets down” in Dharug language,
along the north bank of the Parramatta River. It sits on the traditional lands and waters of the Burramattagal people of the Dharug Nation,
who have been stewards and caretakers of these territories since time immemorial, in what today is referred to as Greater Western Sydney,
one of the most diverse cultural communities in the world and home to the largest number of Indigenous Australians in the country.
The Institute for Culture and Society acknowledges the Dharug, Eora, Dharawal (also referred to as Tharawal)
and Wiradjuri peoples as traditional custodians and Indigenous knowledge-holders, whose storytelling serve
as historical record, a form of teaching and learning, a way to care for Country,
and an expression of Indigenous culture and identity.