MELBOURNE, Jan 8: Majority of Australians think asylum seekers, who arrive by boat, were not genuine refugees and the authorities should deal with them more strictly, according to latest survey.
An opinion poll by UMR Research found that 59 per cent of people think most boat arrivals are not genuine refugees.
It showed only 30 per cent of Australians believed that most asylum seekers were genuine refugees while 12 per cent were unsure, Fairfax reported.
The survey was based on a sample of 1000 online interviews across the country.
Almost 60 per cent Australians also favoured the Tony Abbott Government to “increase the severity of the treatment of asylum seekers”. Only 30 per cent think asylum seekers should not be treated more severely, while 9 per cent are unsure.
Respondents who most strongly favouring harsher policies were older Australians. (AGENCIES)
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