Multi-cultural societies, in which there is a mixture of different ethnic peoples, bring more benefits than drawbacks to a country. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

I definitely agree with the statement that cosmopolitan societies are better for the overall progress of a country. That is perhaps why nations such as the U.S.A., Canada and Australia, which are primarily multi-cultural societies, enjoy great prosperity, stability and harmony. In the following paragraphs I shall provide arguments to support my views.

Apparently, a multi-cultural society can bring a wide variety of benefits to a nation in terms of economic, cultural and social development. To begin with, the majority of immigrants from different cultural backgrounds are high achievers, including experts, scholars, engineers, business people and other well-trained people. Their arrival means an inflow of expertise, experience, investments as well as a dynamic labour force, which are all key factors to the increase of competitiveness, efficiency and productivity of a nation’s economy.

What is more, the new arrivals know very well the importance of respecting the local traditions and customs. Therefore, they co-operate and collaborate well with the natives. They work very harmoniously side by side in offices, factories and schools. In addition, with a rich blend of peoples, cultures and lifestyles, people in multi-cultural societies tend to be more open-minded and tolerant of other people’s customs and religions.

However, multi-societies also have some problems. Sometimes, people from overseas will try to maintain their unique ethnic cultures with their own distinctive characteristics. These differences many seem trivial, but they can cause some conflicts that make it difficult for immigrants to become assimilated into the mainstream of the local social life. But multi-cultural societies are usually based on equality and diversity, so these problems can eventually be dealt with successfully.

To sum up, after what I have discussed, the advantages of multi-cultural societies far outweigh the disadvantages. That is the reason so many countries make great efforts to attract more immigrants from abroad.