Learn about the research areas that guide the Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA) study.

On this page:

The study has 3 main broad research questions that guide the study:

  1. What are the settlement outcomes of humanitarian migrants?
  2. How does access to and use of government and nongovernment services and welfare benefits contribute to humanitarian migrants’ successful settlement?
  3. Do the settlement experiences and outcomes of humanitarian migrants vary according to the differing migration pathways taken?

The study goes more in-depth in the following research areas.

Demographics

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Country of birth
  • Marital status

Housing

  • Assistance in finding housing
  • Number of times moved home
  • Tenure type
  • Quality of housing
  • Number of bedrooms
  • Neighbourhood characteristics

Language proficiency

  • Languages spoken at home
  • English language proficiency
  • Attendance of English language classes
  • Helpfulness and use of interpreting services

Education

  • Highest level of education achieved
  • Currently engaged in education and training
  • Educational aspirations
  • Qualifications gained prior to arrival in Australia
  • Whether previous qualifications have been recognised in Australia

Employment and income

  • Current employment status
  • Prior occupation and work experience before coming to Australia
  • Experience of unemployment in Australia
  • Income and government benefits received
  • Savings
  • Remittances
  • Financial hardship

Pre-migration experiences

  • Countries lived in prior to arrival in Australia
  • Potentially traumatic events experienced
  • Time spent and services offered in:
  • refugee camps
  • Australian detention centres
  • community detention.
  • Reasons for migrating to Australia

Health

  • Physical and mental health
  • Life stressors
  • Professional help for emotional problems

Self-sufficiency

  • Performing daily life tasks
  • Access to services and transport
  • Barriers to service use

Community support

  • Support received from national, religious and other community groups
  • Involvement in community activities
  • Friends made in Australia
  • Sense of belonging in Australia
  • Social networks available upon arrival

Life satisfaction

  • Self-concept
  • Self-efficacy
  • Trusting different community groups and organisations
  • Experience of discrimination

Perceptions of life in Australia

  • Expectations before arrival
  • Factors promoting or hindering settlement
  • Overall settlement experience

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