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The majority (three in four or 73% of the respondents aged 15‐25 years) were born in Australia, as Graph 5 shows. The next highest birthplaces of respondents were Iraq (27 respondents), Pakistan (22 respondents) and Lebanon (20 respondents) with respondents also drawn from another 26 birthplaces. Moreover, the overwhelming majority (94%) of respondents were Australian citizens (see Graph 6).

Graph 5. Country of Birth of Respondents

Number of respondents

Graph 6. Australia Citizenship of Survey Respondents by Gender

Another way to represent the diversity of the Muslim youth surveyed is to group them into regional areas. Graph 7 shows that most of the one third of non‐Australian‐born respondents were born in the Middle East and Northern Africa (17%) or in Asia (15%). Please note that respondents born in the Sub‐Saharan Africa, East Europe, North America, Oceania, South America etc, together add up to 4%. ass the ‘less than 1%’ together add up to 2%.

Graph 7. Region of Birth of Respondents

Another dimension of the diversity of the young Muslim respondents relates to linguistic diversity. Because the survey took place in Sydney, the settlement destination of most of Australia’s Lebanese and other Middle Eastern immigrants, it is over‐represented with Arabic speakers. Graph 8 shows the main languages that respondents spoke at home (multiple answers were accepted). Just over half (53%) spoke English at home and nearly (45%) spoke Arabic at home. Other languages spoken at home by respondents include Bengali, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, Lao, Burmese, Pashto, Turkish, Kurdish, Punjabi, Khmer, Persian, Dari, and Farsi. And as Graph 9 shows, nearly half only speak a language other than English at home. The remainder is split equally between those that only speak English at home (26%) and those who speak more than one language at home (26%). Please note that the figures of 1% for Sub‐Saharan Africa, East Europe, North America, Oceania, South America and n/a, have been rounded up and jointly equal

4%.

Graph 8. Main Language Spoken at Home by Respondents

Graph 9. Language/s spoken at home to parents

Knowledge and fluency in English is a key factor influencing the lives of immigrants in English‐ speaking immigration nations like Australia. As Graph 10 shows, the majority of those surveyed indicated that they can read, understand and speak English well. Of respondents in the age group under 18, 56% reported that they can understand and speak English quite well, 32% can read well, and 21% reported that they can write well. In the 18 and 25 years age group, 56% of respondents indicated they understand and speak English quite well. Please note that some respondents gave multiple answers.

Graph 10. Respondents’ Ability and Facility with English Language by Age Groups (%)

Can understand & speak quite well

Graph 11 depicts the current occupation of the young Muslim Australians surveyed. Three quarters (75%) were attending high school. This is because one of our most effective sources of recruiting respondents (in addition to the Sydney Eid Festival) was Muslim schools in Sydney. 16% of respondents were attending college or university, about 15% were employed and

9% unemployed.

Graph 11. Current Occupation of Respondents.