More than half of Australians believe the country is accepting too many migrants, according to new survey findings, highlighting the growing public debate over immigration alongside continuing support for multiculturalism.
An October 2026 survey by the Growth Intelligence Centre, part of News Corp Australia’s The Growth Distillery, found that 55 per cent of respondents considered Australia’s current migrant intake too high. Only 6 per cent believed the country should accept more migrants.
The findings come as immigration remains a prominent political issue during Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s second term, with migration policy attracting renewed attention amid the rising profile of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.
The survey points to a significant generational divide. Among Pre-Boomers, Baby Boomers and GenX respondents, 72 per cent in each group said current migration levels were too high.
Younger Australians expressed a different view. The survey found that 54 per cent of GenZ respondents and 49 per cent of millennials believed the current intake was about right. GenZ was also the most likely generation to favour an increase, with 9 per cent supporting higher migration, compared with 7 per cent of millennials.
Opposition to current migration levels varied across states. South Australia recorded the highest proportion of respondents who considered the intake too high, at 60 per cent, followed by Victoria and New South Wales at 55 per cent each. Tasmania recorded the lowest proportion, at 37 per cent.
These findings reflect views about the scale of migration, but the broader debate also raises questions about Australia’s multicultural identity, changing migration patterns and the pressures shaping public attitudes.
Further, according to an analysis published by the Australian Financial Review’s AFR Weekend, 32 per cent of Australians were born overseas, the highest share among Western countries and around twice the proportions in the United States and United Kingdom.
The analysis found that Asia has accounted for between 44 and 87 per cent of net overseas migration in every year since 2007, with the share now consistently around 70 per cent. However, the countries contributing to these flows have changed considerably.
Net migration from China fell from a pre-pandemic peak of 48,330 in 2017 to 22,680 in 2025, representing 7.6 per cent of net overseas migration that year.
Over the same period, migration from South Asia increased from 61,200 in 2007 to 113,000 in 2025.
Researchers cited demographic changes, educational opportunities in China and differences in Australia’s relationships with China and India as factors influencing these trends.
The analysis also pointed to changes in migration from New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. These flows have risen since the pre-pandemic period, influenced by factors including economic conditions and changes to travel and working arrangements.
Migration patterns are shaped by multiple forces, including labour demand, education, family reunion, humanitarian commitments and international developments. As the AFR analysis noted, governments do not have complete control over where migration originates.
The Scanlon Foundation’s 2025 data, cited in the AFR analysis, found that 83 per cent of Australians continued to support multiculturalism, down from 89 per cent in 2023. At the same time, the proportion who believed migration from diverse backgrounds strengthened Australia fell from 78 per cent in 2023 to 67 per cent in 2025.
These figures suggest that Australians can continue to value cultural diversity while expressing concerns about the number of people entering the country.
Attitudes also vary according to migrants’ countries of origin. The AFR analysis cited Scanlon Foundation data showing that 61 per cent of Australians viewed migrants from the United Kingdom positively, compared with 30 per cent for migrants from China or India and 18 per cent for those from Sudan.
Such differences highlight the complexity of public attitudes towards migration. Views about overall intake levels, perceptions of particular migrant communities and support for multiculturalism are related, but they are not interchangeable measures.
Immigration has become a point of political contest, with parties debating the appropriate size of the intake and how Australia should approach integration and social cohesion.
For policymakers, the challenge is therefore broader than setting a numerical target. It involves balancing population growth, workforce requirements, housing and infrastructure capacity, humanitarian obligations and public confidence in the migration system.
The October survey adds to evidence that concern about migration levels has become a significant issue for many Australians. Its findings, particularly the generational differences, indicate that public attitudes are not uniform.
At the same time, the continued high level of support for multiculturalism suggests that debate over the scale and management of migration should not automatically be interpreted as a rejection of cultural diversity.
Australia’s migration system has contributed to the country’s workforce, institutions and cultural life. The policy question facing governments is how to manage future migration in a way that responds to economic and demographic needs while maintaining public confidence and supporting social cohesion.
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