Meaningful work, social connections key to migrants’ belonging in Australia, study finds

A new report has examined the factors impacting the sense of belonging in Australia’s fastest-growing migrant communities. (Right image: Trish Prentice, Senior Researcher at Scanlon Foundation Research Institute) Credit: Credits: AAP image/Right image: Scanlon Foundation

A new report has explored what shapes the sense of belonging among Australia’s fastest-growing migrant communities, including people with ties to China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Iraq and the Philippines. Commissioned by the Department of Home Affairs and conducted by researchers at the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute, the study found that community connections are the strongest drivers of migrants’ sense of belonging in Australia. Participants identified the biggest settlement challenges as securing meaningful employment, followed by feelings of isolation or cultural difference, learning English, managing living costs and finding culturally appropriate food.

Follow and Subscribe

Apple Podcasts YouTube Spotify Listnr Download (12.69MB)

Download the SBS Audio appAvailable on iOS and Android

Published 17 February 2026 3:45pm

Updated 17 February 2026 4:02pm

By Natasha Kaul

Source: SBS

Share this with family and friends

A new report has explored what shapes the sense of belonging among Australia’s fastest-growing migrant communities, including people with ties to China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Iraq and the Philippines. Commissioned by the Department of Home Affairs and conducted by researchers at the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute, the study found that community connections are the strongest drivers of migrants’ sense of belonging in Australia. Participants identified the biggest settlement challenges as securing meaningful employment, followed by feelings of isolation or cultural difference, learning English, managing living costs and finding culturally appropriate food.

Find our podcasts here at SBS Hindi Podcast Collection. You can also tune in to SBS Hindi at 5 pm on SBS South Asian on digital radio, on channel 305 on your television, via the SBS Audio app or stream from our website.