How Safe do Majority Group Members, Ethnic Minorities and Muslims Feel in Multicultural European Societies?

• In Event: 549 - Section on International Migration Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 11. Citizenship and Belonging

Abstract

Recent research suggests that majorities in Europe are not more hostile to immigrants in states with multicultural policies and that the educational level of respondents positively influences their attitude toward these policies. What accounts, then, for political leaders’ public assertions of the death of multiculturalism and the resurgence of far-right parties? We examine the possibility that some areas of multicultural policy foster a sense of discrimination on the part of majority populations and reduce their sense of safety, putting pressure on political leaders for assurances and providing the impetus for populist political party agendas. Data from the Banting/Kymlicka Multiculturalism Policy Index project and from the European Social Survey allow us to assess the impact of specific areas of multicultural policy on those who identify as majority group members, ethnic minorities, and Muslims in fourteen European states. We provide a quantitative multivariate analysis of the influence of key areas of state level multicultural policy on individuals’ sense of being in a group that is discriminated against, as well as their feelings of safety, satisfaction with life and satisfaction with the national government. Background factors, including respondents’ education, are controlled. For each of the three groups of respondents, the paper offers conclusions as to which areas of multicultural policy trigger the most adverse reactions. These data help to explain the backlash against multiculturalism and the shift in focus in European states toward “mainstreaming” integration programs. They also provide a contextual background for understanding the increasing sway of rightist party demands.

Authors

• Pamela Irving Jackson, Rhode Island College

• Peter E. Doerschler, Bloomsburg University