The study by Reconciliation Australia, an NGO promoting rapprochement between natives and non-indigenous locals, showed 54 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experienced racism last year, up from 39 per cent in 2014.
Younger First Nations people encountered higher levels of racism than other age groups, including at the hands of police, employers, taxi drivers and while seeking government services.
The indigenous communities were also subjected to physical violence, social media abuse and barred from renting a property – episodes Reconciliation Australia’s CEO Karen Mundine described as “disheartening”.
“I think probably people are more likely to report those experiences, and people have a greater understanding of what it is,” Mundine told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
The findings were released on Tuesday.