Nine in ten Australians back cultural diversity — here's what politicians need to know

Nine in ten Australians reckon the country's cultural diversity is good for us, according to the Lowy Institute Poll. Ninety per cent of people surveyed said Australia's diverse population is either 'mostly positive' (69%) or 'entirely positive' (21%) for the country.

That's a strong result by any standard. But the split within that 90% is worth unpacking. The 'entirely positive' crowd — 21% — are wholehearted about it. The 69% 'mostly positive' figure is the middle ground: people who see real value in diversity but probably figure there's some friction around the edges. That's a coalition that spans what are usually quite different voting blocs.

For the people making policy, these numbers matter because public feeling about cultural diversity sits underneath nearly every debate about immigration levels, multicultural funding, and social cohesion. Governments, both Labor and Coalition, have long been cautious about what they say on these topics. They've assumed voters were anxious or split, so they've picked their words carefully. The Lowy data calls that caution into question. A 90% positive result isn't a narrow majority — it's an overwhelming one.

That said, political caution doesn't evaporate just because one poll looks good. There's often a gap between what Australians say they believe in the abstract and what they think about specific policies. You can ask someone, "Is diversity good?" and get a yes, then ask, "What should the annual migration cap be?" and get a completely different conversation. People working in multicultural policy know this well: it's the difference between warm feeling about a broad idea and hard disagreement over the actual numbers.

But a 90% figure gives any government real political room to move at the level of principle. The claim that Australians are fundamentally opposed to a culturally diverse society doesn't hold up against this data. That changes how policy debates get framed — especially in Senate crossbench negotiations, where appeals to voters' anxiety about diversity sometimes get used as a bargaining chip. The Lowy numbers make that move harder to pull off.

The Lowy Institute Poll has been running since 2005, surveying Australians annually on foreign policy and national identity. It's methodologically careful and rigorous, which means its findings carry real weight. The institute has no political axe to grind, and because it asks the same questions year after year, you can actually track whether attitudes are shifting or holding steady.

The 90% figure puts Australia's view of itself as a plural society in sharp focus. Whether that sentiment actually sticks around in policy — or gets torn apart in the next election cycle's culture-war noise — is what people in government will be watching closely.