A Spectrum of Integration: Examining Combinations of Bonding and Bridging Social Capital and Network Heterogeneity among Australian Refugee and Skilled Migrants

In an era of global uncertainty, the flow of migrants and refugees around the world has become a prominent social issue for developed countries like Australia that are experiencing large migrant intakes. Australia is a country built on migration; by 2006, nearly a quarter of Australian residents (24 percent) were born abroad (DIAC, 2010). However, national surveys show that the sentiment of many native Australians is turning against migrants and refugees (Goot and Watson, 2011). While part of the concern stems from economic and environmental concerns about increases in population (Goot and Watson, 2011), much of it also comes from perceptions of a widespread failure of migrants to integrate into the broader Australian society. I would suggest that while this perception stems in part from a predictably vitriolic mix of globalisation anxieties (Hage, 2009), it is also reinforced by misunderstandings of the degree to which migrants are involved in local and broad civic activities within Australia. While acknowledging that the term ‘integration’ is contested, reviews of the literature note that social connectedness and involvement in civic society are among the most commonly cited définitions of successful ethnic integration (Ager and Strang, 2008).