The Emergence of Religious Plurality in Australia: A Multicultural Society

Abstract

As a result of post-war migration Australia has become a reUgiously plural, multicultural sod, ety. Following a careful examination of recent changes in the religious demography of Australia, a comparison of Australia with Canada and New Zealand, and adiscussion of the nature of reUgiously plural, multicultural societies, six factors (three demographic and three social structural) are identified as key inreducing the likelihood of religious intergroup conflict in Australia: The relatively smaU size of the minority groups vis,a,vis the dominant butnearly equal Catholics and Anglicans, the lack of overlap between ethnic and reUgious difference, the lack ofghettoization, the fact that religious differ, ence isnotpoUticized, a lang history of sorting outintergroup conflict through legislation and COUTts, and the existence of effective organizations promoting positive intergroup relations.

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Religious Affiliations of the Chinese Community in Australia: Findings from 2016 Census Data

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