Racial harmony strong, but fragile: survey reveals

A national survey has found that more than 80 per cent of iTaukei and Indo-Fijians trust and accept one another.

However, nearly half of both communities still hold deep suspicions about the other that experts warn could tear the country apart if left unchecked.

The findings, tabled in Parliament yesterday by Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran, come from the Social Cohesion and Reconciliation Index (SCORE) Assessment which was carried out across Fiji in late 2025.

The survey, a joint project between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Fiji National University (FNU), measured how people across different ethnicities, provinces, ages and backgrounds feel about trust, fairness and living together peacefully.

“Over 80 per cent of iTaukei and Indo-Fijians report trust and acceptance of the other into their families and communities,” Ms Kiran told Parliament.

“This itself gives us much hope.”

But the same survey found 49 per cent of iTaukei believe Indo-Fijians do not respect the iTaukei way of life, while 50 per cent of Indo-Fijians believe Fiji’s development would be stronger if there was more equal access to politics and land.

Opposition Member of Parliament Virendra Lal said the findings confirmed what most Fijians already feel that harmony is real, but fragile.

“When underlying stereotypes persist, they act as dry grass waiting for a spark,” he said.

Government said it would use the findings to shape national policy and has planned two weeks of community workshops starting this week.