This study explores how educational background and accent familiarity influence perceived employability of individuals with various English accents for white-collar jobs, as rated by Australian listeners. Using a survey-based approach, this study involved 244 Australian residents, categorised by age groups (Younger: born after 2000, Middle: born between 1980 and 2000, Older: born before 1980), gender (Male, Female, and Prefer Not to Say), educational attainment (Non-university, Bachelor's degree, and Postgraduate degree), accent familiarity, and network diversity. Participants rated their accent familiarity and network diversity by selecting from the categories: Not Very, Somewhat, and Very. They, then, assessed the employability of speakers with Lebanese Australian, Russian, Anglo Australian, Mandarin, and Cantonese accents by listening to the same 30 audio clips of job interview simulations and assessed the candidates' suitability for office jobs (using a Likert scale, ranging from "Very unlikely" (1) to "Very likely" (5). To analyse the data, the study employed linear regression analysis. The results show that higher educational levels correlate with stricter judgments against non-Anglo accents, particularly Russian and Mandarin. This paradox illustrates that despite greater cultural exposure, a higher educational background can still reinforce linguistic biases. Furthermore, despite the positive influence of accent familiarity on Anglo and Lebanese speakers, non-Anglo accents (Cantonese, Mandarin, Russian) consistently receive lower ratings. This is notable since Cantonese and Mandarin are among the most populous non-English-speaking groups in Australia. This suggests that frequent exposure does not significantly reduce biases against these accents, pointing to deeper cultural biases that familiarity alone cannot overcome.

Authors:
Siti Rahmatia Ntou, Australian National University, Australia

About the Presenter(s)
Ms Siti Rahmatia Ntou is a University Postgraduate Student at Australian National University in Australia

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/siti-rahmatia-ntou-3b2461191/

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