Intersections at work

30 Limitations. Previous studies have shown that online research produces results which are at least as accurate (and sometimes more accurate) than telephone research. However, a benefit of this approach is the removal of any interviewer bias that may come into play when discussing sensitive issues. Online surveys also have the advantage of allowing people to respond at their own pace, giving them enough time to properly consider important and complex issues. However, it is possible that this methodology over-samples the computer literate population that on average may be more highly educated than the general population of workers. Defining Cultural Diversity. For the purposes of this research, we defined ‘culturally diverse’ as anyone with non-Anglo cultural origins, that is, anyone from a non-Main English Speaking Country cultural background (that is, countries other than Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom, and the United States of America). This definition recognises Australia’s history of British colonisation, so culturally diverse includes people with European, Asian, African, Middle Eastern, Latin American, and Pacific Islander cultural backgrounds. We reviewed the cultural backgrounds off all survey respondents and divided them into: • First Nations = people with an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background or cultural identity. In accordance with DCA’s Counting Culture principles, we do not define Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander as culturally diverse, to respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians’ unique position as First Nations people. • MESC = main English-speaking country 22 (that is anyone who identifies with a cultural identity from any of the following countries: Canada, New Zealand (non-Maori people), Republic of Ireland, South Africa, United Kingdom, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, United States of America or Australia. People who identified with only Australian cultural backgrounds were excluded from this analysis; and • Non-MESC = anyone with a cultural identity or background from a country other than those identified above as MESC. It is important to note that being from a non main English-speaking country does not imply a lack of proficiency in English. The survey recognised that an employees’ cultural identity may be informed by multiple rather than only one prevailing ethnicity, and so it collected data on up to two different cultural/ethnic groups that an employee may identify with. This approach to measuring cultural background respects the fact that as many as 30% of Australian workers identify with more than one cultural background and they can find it difficult to specify just one cultural identity, ethnicity, or cultural background in surveys. Moreover, allowing people to describe their cultural background in more than one way (e.g. Australian-Greek rather than just Australian) also enables their response to capture not just how they identify but also how others may perceive them to identify.