Are Religious Minorities in Greece Better Accepted if they Assimilate? The Effects of Acculturation Strategy and Group Membership on Religious Minority Perceptions

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis research aims to investigate the impact of minority members' decision about whether or not to adopt the majority's religion on how the majority perceives these minority members and on beliefs about religious and cultural diversity. It is hypothesized that the adoption of the majority's religion would be more positively evaluated, the minority person adopting the religion would be perceived to identify more with the national polity and less with the minority ingroup, the minority group as a whole would be more positively viewed, more tolerant religious beliefs would prevail and the majority would accept cultural maintenance by the minority. However it is also hypothesized that the positive effect of this strategy would be moderated by the origins of the minority person. Greek‐Orthodox students (n = 223) participated in a 2 (type of decision) x 5 (group membership) between‐subjects design conducted in Greece, a mono‐religious society which has become culturally diverse due to immigration. The target groups represent religious minorities with Greek citizenship (Jews and Muslims of Thrace), immigrant groups of different ethnic orientation and similar religious background (Albanian Muslims and Pakistanis) or groups sharing ethnicity but differing in religious beliefs (Albanian Muslims and Albanian atheists). The moderation hypothesis was confirmed for perceived identification with the minority ingroup, presenting Albanians in a worse position. However, group membership influenced mainly group perceptions and beliefs about diversity. The theoretical and political implications of the findings and their importance for the specific context are discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.