Abstract

1Malaysia concept was introduced by Datuk Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak on April 3, 2009 with the theme, "People First, Achievement Is Priority", 1Malaysia seen as an attempt to foster unity among the various races in Malaysia with 8 important values as the catalyst for social transformation that leads to the growth and well-being of people. This descriptive study was conducted to investigate the source and extent of the understanding of 1Malaysia concept among the three groups of primary school (n = 100), secondary school (n = 100) and university students (n = 98). Data were collected through a survey method with the use of a set of questionnaires and were then analysed with SPSS software. The results showed that the main source of this concept for all three groups of students is through television, followed by the newspaper. For the understanding of the concept, it was found that almost 70% of the respondents do understand some basic aspects related to it. However, there are still aspects which respondents still do not know about. Thus there is a need for the educators to play an important role to explain in detail to the students so that the concept can be understood and appreciated, and that it is not misinterpreted to cause negative impact on race relations in Malaysia.