Australia’s biggest study into racism data has been published as part of a nation-first project that aims to better understand racism, its prevalence in society, and the impact on people who are targeted.

The study focuses on data collected nationally in Australia, with a specific focus on Victoria and was conducted by the Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies (CRIS).

Project co-lead Dr Jehonathan Ben of the Alfred Deakin Institute undertook the research alongside fellow Deakin researchers Dr Amanuel Elias, Professor Fethi Mansouri, Dr Jessica Walton and Professor Yin Paradies, and researchers from Western Sydney University and Monash University.

Dr Ben said data held the key to understanding how people who experience racism are impacted physically, emotionally, and economically. It could also be used to map key perpetrator demographics to better inform intervention programs and policies to counteract racism.

The research follows the establishment of a new Anti-Racism Taskforce by the Victorian Government and the development of a new Anti-Racism Strategy.

“Our aim was to find out what data currently exists on racism in Australia and what the gaps in the data are,” Dr Ben said.

Read more about the study here.