Explaining Natives' Interethnic Friendship and Contact with Colleagues in European Regions

Abstract

In this study we focus on underlying determinants of interethnic contact of natives within a large number of European regions. We use the ‘opportunity-preference-third parties’ framework to explain differences between social groups and distinguish interethnic contact with colleagues from interethnic friendship. Using the first wave of the European Social Survey (2002/2003), we found clear differences between social groups in terms of how likely they are to have interethnic contact. Men have more interethnic contact in terms of both colleagues and friends. Older residents in Europe have fewer immigrant friends, but hardly differ in terms of immigrant colleagues. Opportunity plays a significant role in fostering interethnic contact in terms of both friends and colleagues. Preference and third parties predominantly affect the chances of having interethnic friendships. The three mechanisms partly explain differences between social groups. Although social groups tend to differ in their probability of having interethnic contact, they ‘profit’ more or less equally in terms of increased interethnic contact if objective opportunities rise. Our results stress the importance of distinguishing both dimensions of interethnic contact, i.e., with friends and colleagues, and shed more light on underlying determinants and mechanisms of interethnic contact.