Catholic Perspectives: A Closer Look at How Different Religions Influence Attitudes towards Immigrants

• In Event: 1284 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 19. Race/Ethnicity and Religion

Abstract

The integration of religious minorities within the secularized West has been a continuous question across various fields of social research. Previous literature has focused on traditional receiving countries, with broad comparison of religious immigrants or minorities. Using Life in Transition Survey (LITS) data collected by the European Bank, this study compares attitudes towards immigrant contributions in Eastern, Central, and Southern Europe while taking into account both national and individual religious affiliations, and the respondent’s perceived economic vulnerability. The findings suggest that religious affiliation is a stronger indicator of whether immigrants are considered a benefit or a burden to the national economy than perceived economic vulnerability. However, in contrast to previous studies where religious affiliation was undefined, this study finds that not all religious affiliations are equal. Catholic respondents or residents of Catholic-majority countries were most likely to describe immigrants as a burden on the economy, whereas Muslim respondents and residents of majority-Muslim countries were most supportive. These results underscore the need for greater specificity with respect to the intangible barriers to integration of ethnic minorities in recent European host countries.

Author

• Setareh Mahmoudi, University of California-Irvine