'Ignorant' attitudes to asylum seekers

Asylum seeker advocates say many of Australia's negative attitudes toward potential refugees are fuelled by unfounded fear and misinformation.

"People are ignorant because no-one, including the government and the media, tell them otherwise," Pamela Curr from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre told AAP on Friday.

Ms Curr argues a study which found some Australians wrongly believe refugees are given new Nike shoes, flat-screen TVs and $10,000 if granted asylum, is not surprising.

"It's just not true. Asylum seekers live on 89 per cent of the lowest Centrelink payments," Ms Curr said.

Many people also believe Australia is in the grip of "Islamisation" that is threatening Christian values, according to new University of Melbourne research.

It found there were many misconceptions and knowledge gaps about asylum seekers - with the least informed people relying on commercial TV and tabloid newspapers for information.

The most prevalent driver of negative attitudes towards asylum seekers was prejudice against Muslims with lots of respondents linking the two.

Welfare recipients who were struggling financially - especially those in western Sydney and rural areas - were more likely to have negative attitudes to people seeking asylum.

They also thought they were given preferential treatment for welfare and housing, something Ms Curr says is "completely nonsensical".

But interestingly, many respondents also said they would pay a people smuggler to get on a boat if it meant giving their own children a chance at a better life.

These dual attitudes were seen in many of the 10 research focus groups, which consisted of around 100 both white and blue collar workers, from city and country areas in NSW, Victoria and Queensland.

ATTITUDES TO ASYLUM SEEKERS:

* Some believe asylum seekers are a drain on health services, welfare and jobs

* Respondents who depend on welfare think asylum-seekers get preferential treatment

* Concerns asylum seekers will live in ghettos

* A view that Islam is an intolerant religion

* Some believed Muslims will introduce Sharia law into Australia and subject everyone to it

* "Potent fear" Australia is not screening asylum seekers well enough

Source: Islamisation and other anxieties: voter attitudes to asylum seekers by Melbourne University's Dr Denis Muller.