Thread: Something we always 'knew' now has some evidence

The Aussie Swastika was out in force this year gone, with more tattoos and car stickers than ever. It's a pity 'the cross' is associated with racist views by enough people (anecdotally) for it to be called the Aussie Swastika. This study, however, is about the Aussie flag flapping about on peoples cars.

I will admit to more or less thinking what this study demonstrates. Interesting, maybe i'm not so off the pulse after all.

http://www.news.uwa.edu.au/201201234...link-car-flags

Monday, 23 January 2012
People who fly Australia Day flags on their cars tend to express more racist attitudes than others without flags, according to research findings at The University of Western Australia.

UWA sociologist and anthropologist Professor Farida Fozdar and a team of assistants surveyed 513 people at last year's Australia Day fireworks on Perth's Swan River foreshore.

One in five said they had attached flags to their cars to celebrate Australia Day.

Professor Fozdar said 43 per cent of those with car flags said they believed the now-abandoned White Australia Policy had saved Australia from many problems experienced by other countries, while only 25 per cent without flags agreed.

(Non-Europeans were barred from migrating to Australia until after World War II, when immigration restrictions began to ease.)

A total of 56 per cent of people with car flags feared their culture and its most important values were in danger, compared with 34 per cent of non-flaggers.

And 35 per cent of flaggers felt that people had to be born in Australia to be truly Australian, while 23 per cent believed that true Australians had to be Christian, compared with 22 per cent and 18 per cent respectively for non-flaggers.

Professor Fozdar said her research also revealed clear differences in how people with car flags felt towards minority groups.

Only 39 per cent of flaggers expressed a positive view towards Aboriginal Australians compared with 47 per cent of non-flaggers, 19 per cent of flaggers felt positive towards Muslim Australians compared with 26 per cent of non-flaggers; seven per cent of flaggers were positive towards asylum seekers compared with 24 per cent of non-flaggers, and 27 per cent with flags felt positive towards Asian Australians compared with 48 per cent of non-flaggers.

Three survey questions sought views on Australian cultural diversity: 64 per cent of people with car flags agreed that it was good for people from different ethnic, religious and racial groups to live in Australia, compared with 75 per cent of non-flaggers.

An overwhelming 91 per cent of people with car flags agreed that people who move to Australia should adopt Australian values, compared with 76 per cent of non-flaggers.

A total of 55 per cent of flaggers believed migrants should leave their old ways behind, compared with 30 per cent of non-flaggers.

However majorities of both groups - 60 per cent of flaggers and 73 per cent of non-flaggers - also felt that it was best to respect and learn from each other's cultural differences.

Professor Fozdar said there was no clear link between education, gender, ethnicity, citizenship, voting pattern or income and flag flying, although her survey showed a slightly higher likelihood of younger rather than older people adopting the practice.

In terms of nationalism, 88 per cent of those with Australia Day car flags said they thought it showed they were proud to be Australian, while only 52 per cent of those without flags thought so.

Some thought the increased popularity of flying Australia Day car flags was due to increased patriotism while others said it was simply peer pressure to follow the trend or avoid seeming unpatriotic.

Many said it was due to marketing and the cheap availability of car flags, while some thought it was a response to loss of culture due to multiculturalism, immigration, invasion and terrorism.

"What I found interesting is that many people didn't really have much to say about why they chose to fly car flags or not," Professor Fozdar said.

"Many felt strongly patriotic about it - and for some, this was quite a racist or exclusionary type of patriotism - but it wasn't a particularly conscious thing for many.

"Very clear statistical differences in attitudes to diversity between those who fly car flags and those who don't, show that flag waving - while not inherently exclusionary - is linked in this instance to negative attitudes about those who do not fit the ‘mainstream' stereotype'."

Professor Fozdar said fewer people said they flew Australia Day car flags last year - one in five - compared with 2010 when it was one in four.

The study surveyed only 513 out of 23 million. Hardly enough to make this believable - although I wouldn't be suprised if it was.

Originally Posted by Recusant

This study, however, is about the Aussie flag flapping about on peoples cars.

I will admit to more or less thinking what this study demonstrates. Interesting, maybe i'm not so off the pulse after all.

I don't think you're 'off the pulse' at all.

I also believe that people who fly Australian flags on their cars generally tend to express more racist attitudes than others without flags.

Moreover, my belief is based on first hand observations.

I have also noticed that one never sees a flag attached to a BMW, Mercedes, or Audi. It always seems to be a Holden, Falcon, or 4x4 Toyota.
Of course, I'm not saying that Audi owners never do it, it's just that I've never seen one myself.

Now, there are a couple of flag wavers in this forum who think that Professor Fozdar and her study are not entirely credible and they will undoubtedly jump into this thread and declare me a "bigot" and "hater" (it's always personal attacks, never evidence to support their counter argument).

For the record, I don't hate flag wavers and I don't treat them any different to a non-flag waver. I just believe that they are generally of a lower IQ than the average person and as such they usually tend to have racist attitudes. I find them highly amusing and have no desire to stop them doing whatever it is that turns them on.

They just make me laugh

Was that the study where they asked people at single Australia Day fireworks event? I reckon it might have been at night on Ausday (fireworks) meaning disproportionate intoxication and lack of families with small children due to lateness. The only people I know who use the flag in this way do so for the kids.

I think your mixing up the use of the flag with the people who get southern cross tattoo's... and with them you'll probably find a eureka flag sticker on their car as well (union).

Originally Posted by axialturban

Was that the study where they asked people at single Australia Day fireworks event? I reckon it might have been at night on Ausday (fireworks) meaning disproportionate intoxication and lack of families with small children due to lateness. The only people I know who use the flag in this way do so for the kids.

The event attracts many families with children:



And many bogans:

I keep thinking they have a midnight fireworks but its not bloody NYE

Originally Posted by axialturban

I keep thinking they have a midnight fireworks but its not bloody NYE

Our Australia Day fireworks start quite early.
Usually half an hour after sunset.

http://skyworks.showmeperth.com.au/

http://skyworks.showmeperth.com.au/e...-skyworks-2012

The bogans come early, drink all day and then go around annoying people.

spot on, and I love the bogan pics, and in MHO, flag waving = bogans

Originally Posted by Makedde

The study surveyed only 513 out of 23 million. Hardly enough to make this believable - although I wouldn't be suprised if it was.

Show me any research, poll, whatever that captures a 100% target range. Stats similar to this is what medical research etc is based on, it does work out to be rather accurate if done properly.

Actually >500 for this is a good sample space

Calling the Aussie flag a Swastika, taking a "study" of 513 people as representitive of the Australian population, photos of people celebrating Australia Day & doing NOTHING wrong, abuse, bigotry & low tactics.


I`ll take a credability reading.

Nup, nothing showing on the dial.

Thread.