Are Malaysians Racists? Executive Summary 17 March 2016

Background and Objective Race relations is an important albeit a sensitive topic for Malaysians. Nevertheless, as a plural society, with various races living in harmony in the country, racism rears its ugly head in various circumstances daily. As an NGO, CENBET wanted study if it is indeed true that Malaysians are racists. We wanted to understand the extent of racism and perceived racism among the Malaysian population. The study was to assess if there are any perceivable differences, in terms of racism, among those who reside in urban and rural areas.

Sampling and Methodology Study was done only in Peninsular Malaysia based mostly on self-assessment on their racist tendencies. The study covered the urban and rural areas from Penang right down to Johor. A total of 1,056 respondents were polled via random sampling. Interviews were conducted face-to-face using a questionnaire in multiple languages. Northern region 38.1% East coast 24.1% Central 20.7% Southern region 17.1%

Respondent’s Profile Out of the total 1,056 respondents, the majority were females (54%) while over 76% of the respondents were from urban areas. Chart 1

Majority of Malaysians are not racists Still, 37.2% admit to having some form of racist tendencies Total sample, n = 1,056 Chart 2

Those who admit to racism are low income earners They mostly are from urban areas By Income Group Total sample, n = 1,056 By Geography Chart 3

Younger population tend to be more racist Gen Y’s make up the majority of those who admit to racism By Age Group Total sample, n = 1,056 Chart 4

30% will NOT Prejudice revealed 60% claim not to be racists, but half of them show racist behaviour 30% will NOT Vote a candidate of different race Is race-based policy still relevant? Total sample, n = 1,056 Chart 5

Similar factors to those who to be racists Of the 60%, low wage earners from urban areas are the majority By Geography Total sample, n = 1,056 By Income Group Chart 7

Thank You Q & A