Perceived discrimination

Relevance

Freedom from unlawful discrimination is a core principle of democratic societies. Discrimination limits people’s opportunities to participate fully in social and economic life and has negative effects on mental and physical wellbeing.

1. Personal discrimination

Current level

In the 2008 New Zealand General Social Survey, 10 percent of people aged 15 years and over reported that they had been discriminated against in some way in the past 12 months.

Of these people who reported discrimination, the most common reasons given were their nationality, race or ethnic group (47 percent), or their skin colour (32 percent). Sixteen percent thought it was because of their gender while 15 percent felt it was because of their age. Other reasons cited included religious beliefs (10 percent), health issues (7 percent) and sexual orientation (3 percent).

For nearly half (45 percent) of those who reported discrimination, the discrimination had happened more than three times in the past year. The most common situations in which discrimination occurred were in public places (41 percent) and workplaces (39 percent).

Age and sex differences

Younger adults were more likely than older adults to report being discriminated against. Fifteen percent of all people aged 15–24 years had experienced discrimination in the past year, compared with 12 percent of 25–44 year olds, 9 percent of 45–64 year olds and 3 percent of people aged 65 years and over. Males aged 15–24 years (20 percent) were twice as likely as females of that age (10 percent) to report being discriminated against, and this difference was statistically significant.

Although the overall rate of discrimination was similar for males and females, among those who reported they had experienced discrimination, females (23 percent) were more likely than males (10 percent) to cite gender discrimination as the reason.

Ethnic differences

Asian people (23 percent), Māori (16 percent) and Pacific people (14 percent) were significantly more likely than people in the mainly European group (8 percent) to experience discrimination. Of those who had experienced discrimination, nationality, race or ethnic group was cited as a reason by 83 percent of Asian people, 63 percent of Pacific people, 56 percent of Māori, and 32 percent of people in the mainly European group.

Socio-economic and family type differences

People in rented housing (16 percent) were twice as likely to experience discrimination as people in owner-occupied housing (8 percent). Unemployed people (19 percent) and people in one-parent families with dependent children (16 percent) had higher than average rates of discrimination. There was little variation by personal income level.

Regional differences

Proportions of people reporting discrimination were similar across the country: 12 percent in the combined regions of Northland, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne; 11 percent in the Auckland region and in the rest of the North Island (other than Wellington); 9 percent in Wellington and Canterbury and 7 percent in the South Island outside Canterbury. The difference between Auckland and the South Island outside Canterbury was the only statistically significant regional difference.

International comparison

In a 2009 European Commission survey, 16 percent of respondents reported personal experience of discrimination in the past year on one or more of the six grounds legally prohibited in the European Union (EU): gender, ethnic origin, religion or beliefs, age, disability and sexual orientation. New Zealand’s rate of 10 percent in 2008 is similar to the EU survey’s rate for Ireland (11 percent) but half the rate for the United Kingdom (20 percent). Age discrimination was the most common ground across the EU, reported by 6 percent of all respondents.⁸⁶

2. Group discrimination

Current level and trends

In December 2009, 75 percent of respondents to a Human Rights Commission survey thought Asian people were subject to a great deal or some discrimination, the highest proportion for any group. This was followed by people on welfare (70 percent), people who are overweight (65 percent) and recent immigrants (63 percent). The unemployed, included for the first time in 2009, were thought to be subject to discrimination by 60 percent of respondents.

Between 2008 and 2009, there was an increase of 4 percentage points in the proportion of respondents who saw people on welfare, Māori and women as subject to discrimination, and an increase of 3 percentage points in the proportion who saw people with disabilities, older people and children and young people as subject to discrimination.

Between December 2001 and December 2009, the proportion of people who thought that different groups were subject to some or a great deal of discrimination fell for seven of the 11 groups that had comparable data. The largest declines in perceived discrimination between 2001 and 2009 were for refugees and Pacific peoples (down by 7 percentage points), and Māori (down by 6 percentage points).

Table CP4.1 Proportion (%) of survey respondents who perceived selected groups as being subject to a great deal or some discrimination, December 2000 to December 2009

Source: Human Rights Commission (2010)

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