New Institute of Public Affairs poll suggests growing concern among young Australians on immigration numbers

A shock new poll from the conservative Institute of Public Affairs suggests widespread unease in the Australian community about surging immigration numbers with a majority now backing a “temporary pause” in the intake.

The poll, conducted by marketing research firm Dynata, found 71 per cent of Australians agreed with the statement that “Australia should temporarily pause its intake of new immigrants until more economic and social infrastructure, such as schools, roads, hospitals, and houses, are built.”

The figure marks an 11 point jump from the same question put to respondents in 2023.

Some 74 per cent of people aged 18-24 now support a pause on migration, a 24-point increase from 2023.

Further, some 77 per cent of Australian agree or strongly agree with the statement that “mass migration is making Australia more divided”, the IPA said, including 74 per cent of 18-24-year-olds.

Sixty per cent of Australians believe immigration intake levels are too high, while 33 per cent believe it is “about right”.

In the 18-24 basket, 52 per cent believe migration is too high.

IPA deputy executive director Daniel Wild said “mass migration” was making Australians poorer and more divided and the poll results served as a warning flare to political leaders.

“Mass migration is making Australians poorer and is leaving our nation more divided. Australians are sending a strong message to our political leaders that drastic and urgent action is needed to restore confidence in our migration program,” he said.

“Too many young Australians are being deprived of an opportunity to own their own home, in part because of mass migration pressures on the housing market.

“That Generation Z voters have turned sharply against Australia’s migration program should be a stark warning to our leaders.”

The poll results follow fresh Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing a continued surge in net overseas migration.

In the year to March, the population increased 1.6 per cent, or an extra 423,400 people, the ABS reported last month.

The annual natural increase, or births minus deaths, added 107,400 people to the population, while net overseas migration added 315,900 people.

In the previous year, the country recorded 493,800 net overseas migrants.

Immigration Minister Tony Burke, responding to the numbers, said the decline showed the government had restored integrity to the immigration system.

“Net overseas migration has declined more than 40 per cent from the post-Covid peak in 2022-23,” he said in September.

“We have accomplished this by restoring integrity to the system while ensuring that it still delivers the skills we need.

“Australia needs a migration system managed maturely and in the interests of the country, not determined by internal Coalition power struggles.”

The net overseas migration measure subtracts overseas departures from arrivals to produce the final intake number.

The measure is different from the permanent migration figure, though permanent migrants also make up a part of net overseas migrants.

Net overseas migrants also include temporary visitors on working holidays and students studying in Australia.

This week, the ABS also reported that net permanent and long-term arrivals from January 1 to August 31 this year hit 379,870, a 6 per cent jump from 2024.

Mr Wild said the figures demonstrated that what he called “out-of-control migration” was “speeding up”.

The ABS cautions, however, that arrivals data does not “reflect the official ABS definition of migration and may lead to inaccurate conclusions on migration”.

“Overseas arrivals and departures data is a count of border crossings rather than migration,” the ABS said.

“It is best used to understand patterns in traveller movements, such as tourism trends and seasonal travel.

“Permanent and long-term movements come from traveller declarations and are not contingent on the traveller’s residency status prior to travel.”