Ethnic Prejudice and Discrimination in Europe

Abstract

This article provides an introduction to research on European prejudice and discrimination. First, we list the distinctive characteristics of a European perspective and provide a short sketch of European immigration and ethnic groups. Europe has become a multicultural community. Nevertheless, public opinion and the continent's politics often do not reflect this empirical fact. Prejudice and discrimination directed at immigrants are a widespread phenomena across Europe. Several cross‐European surveys support this conclusion, although theoretically driven surveys on prejudice and discrimination in Europe remain rare. Cross‐European research studies classical and modern theories of prejudice and discrimination and attempts to uncover the psychological mechanisms that explain individual readiness to exclude ethnic groups. A brief sketch of recent European research is presented. This issue offers both important cross‐national perspectives as well as needed comparisons with the more studied case of racial prejudice and discrimination in the United States.