Minority Perceptions Research Articles

Qualitative exploration of undergraduate social work students’ perceptions of sexual minorities in Nigeria

ABSTRACT Nigeria has been observed as a country with cultures, religious beliefs and legislation that drive negative perceptions, discrimination and oppression of sexual minorities. This calls for the intervention of social workers with the mandate of ensuring social justice and the protection of minorities. We explored the perception of potential social workers in the penultimate and ultimate years about sexual minorities to highlight their preparedness for this undertaking. The data collected from 18 students using semi-structured interviews were coded with NVivo 12 and analyzed in themes. We found that 16 of the sampled 18 students had negative perceptions of sexual minorities, which resulted in the widespread endorsement of oppression and abuse of homosexuals. We also found that Nigeria’s social work education curriculum is limited in preparing students for practice with sexual minorities. We concluded by recommending a review of the social work education curriculum for more inclusive training.

Are They Building a “Second Ireland” in Poland? Political Remitting by Polish Migrants and Return Migrants from Ireland

Despite the significant body of literature on migrations after the 2004 and 2007 enlargements of the European Union, including on social remittances, a subcategory—political remittances—is only now starting to receive attention. This article, based on thirty-four interviews with Poles active in the transnational space between Poland and Ireland, supplemented by a survey of Poles in Ireland ( n = 503) and a press query, aims to investigate (broadly defined) political remittances. It explores the conditions in the country of origin and destination which facilitate or hinder political remittances, the areas of political remittances Polish migrants to or from Ireland transfer, and how these are transmitted. The remittances are found to concern three main areas: (1) the perception of minorities (ethnic, national, sexual); (2) the transparency of government and closeness of representatives to citizens; and (3) the cooperation between the authorities and other actors to achieve local economic development. The article argues that political remitting in the Polish-Irish transnational space can be treated as an example of much broader phenomena taking place between countries of the European Union, especially those linked by large migration waves. It demonstrates that, contrary to what much of the literature suggests, political remitting does not only take place between countries at very different stages of economic and political development.

Threat alters race perception to facilitate discrimination.

Based on recent research, I propose that threat stemming from the environment, perceivers, and targets distorts the visual perception of racial minorities in ways that facilitate discrimination. This model synthesizes the growing motivated race perception literature, generates new hypotheses about threat-induced discrimination, and reveals barriers to discrimination intervention.

Evaluation of oenological tannins for preventing the light-struck taste

The light-struck taste (LST) is a fault occurring in white and rosé wines associated to the formation of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) due to the reactions between riboflavin (RF) and methionine (Met). We investigated the possible preventing effect of 15 commercial tannins of different origin in model wine added with RF and Met, under oxic and anoxic conditions, and submitted to standardized light-exposure. All the tannins limited the degradation of Met in comparison to the tannin-free samples. Lower concentrations of VSCs were found in presence of tannins even under anoxia, condition favouring their formation. The sniffing trials evidenced the minor perception of cooked cabbage note with added tannins. The multivariate analysis showed the presence of flavan-3-ols was related to the formation of DMDS and DMTS, while tannic acid was related to MeSH, both the behaviors occurring under oxic condition. The study highlighted the ability of tannins to prevent the LST.

Can regime change improve ethnic relations? Perception of ethnic minorities after the 2021 coup in Myanmar

AbstractRegime change often exacerbates ethnic conflict. This article examines the curious case of Myanmar, where a 2021 military coup was met, on the surface, with broad-based resistance across a divided society. An important question that therefore arises is whether, below the surface, this unity also took a more positive form of national solidarity. Were deep ethnic cleavages intensified or alleviated by the 2021 coup? This question bears theoretical relevance for the study of ethnic conflict and has social relevance for a nation marked by a long history of civil war and a recent experience of genocide against Rohingya Muslims. The article engages in a systematic examination of 180 social media posts uploaded in Burmese by key opinion leaders both before and after the coup. A qualitative analysis of major positive and negative themes indicates a shift in attitudes. The quantitative analysis shows that ethnic relations, measured by a change in themes, ratings and virality, improved significantly in the immediate aftermath of Myanmar's 2021 coup.

Economic shocks and clinging

AbstractWe test whether the economic effects of globalization change the social and political attitudes of white Americans. Specifically, we examine the effect of a local labor market's exposure to import competition brought about by the rapid changes in the Chinese economy from 1990 to 2007 on perceptions of immigrants, minorities, religion and guns. We do not find meaningful changes in aggregate attitudes. Instead, using detailed information from the General Social Survey, we find evidence of significant hardening of existing attitudes or “clinging” to long‐standing beliefs.

Representations of Racial Minorities in Popular Movies

In the Hollywood film industry, racial minorities remain underrepresented. Characters from racially underrepresented groups receive less screen time, fewer central story positions, and frequently inherit plotlines, motivations, and actions that are primarily driven by White characters. Currently, there are no clearly defined, standardized, and scalable metrics for taking stock of racial minorities’ cinematographic representation. In this paper, we combine methodological tools from computer vision and network science to develop a content analytic framework for identifying visual and structural racial biases in film productions. We apply our approach on a set of 89 popular, full-length movies, demonstrating that this method provides a scalable examination of racial inclusion in film production and predicts movie performance. We integrate our method into larger theoretical discussions on audiences’ perception of racial minorities and illuminate future research trajectories towards the computational assessment of racial biases in audiovisual narratives.

Faces of Tradition in Chinese Performing Arts

Faces of Tradition in Chinese Performing Arts

The Perception of Minorities toward the Turkish State: The Case of Ethno-religious Communities

The relationship between state and non-Muslim communities has been a delicate issue since the founding of the Turkish Republic despite the principle of secularism stated in its constitution. Against this background, the association of national identity with Sunni-Islam has been the main marker of inclusion/exclusion to the national identity. Especially since 2002 when the Justice and Development Party (JDP) came to power, the debates with regard to freedom of religion and the rights of religious minorities came to fore. Over the course of decades there have been numerous studies approaching the state’s perspective towards religious minorities. However, there are still scarce amount of academic studies that focuses on citizenship experiences of the members of these communities in their daily and social life practices. In this article, we first provide a historical perspective of the state towards religious minorities from the establishment of the Republic until today including the JDP period. In the second part of this study we aim to explore recasting perspectives of the non-Muslim minorities over the previous decade by taking the standpoint of the members of Greek Orthodox, Jews and Armenian communities. To this end, we conduct in-depth interviews with the members of these communities who are residing in Istanbul. Finally, new negotiation fields which have been flourishing among these communities will be addressed.

Does the term matter? The labeling effect on the perception of ethnic minorities: The case of The Romani in Serbia

Empirical research on the impact of linguistic labels on social perceptions is scarce, especially in the context of ethnic groups. Across three studies (N = 1185), we investigated the impact of labels on perceptions of the Romani ethnic group by non-Romani participants in Serbia. In Study 1 (N = 244), we found some evidence that the Romani elicit more positive perceptions (more sociable and competent) when labeled with the neutral (vs. derogatory) term. In two follow-up studies, we focused on investigating potential mechanisms. In Study 2, we tested whether positive perceptions emerged via perceived higher status, while in Study 3 we focused on the motivation to respond without prejudice and sensitivity to hate speech. Study 2 (N = 467) replicated the labeling effect showing that Romani were perceived more positively (more sociable and moral) when labeled with the neutral term. However, we found no support for perceived group status as a mechanism. Study 3 (N = 474) did not corroborate the labeling effect but found the higher external motivation to respond without prejudice (potential mechanism). Meta-analytic effects showed that Romani were perceived as more moral, sociable, and competent when the neutral term was used. These effects were to some extent moderated by ideology as they existed only for right-wing individuals. We conclude that the effect is much smaller than the effects in previous comparable studies.

Out, proud, and resilient: effects of sexual identity labels on perceptions of sexual minorities

ABSTRACT Labelling oneself as a sexual minority and sharing that identity with others often represents a significant and intentional process for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals, as most individuals are assumed to be heterosexual. However, little previous research has explored the effects of sexual identity labels on perceptions of LGB individuals. Undergraduate students from a large public university (N = 661) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: explicit labels (e.g. John is gay), implicit labels (e.g. John is attracted to men), or no labels (e.g. John works at a pizza place). Participants in each condition read short vignettes describing characters that were assigned explicit labels, implicit labels, or no labels. After reading each vignette, they rated characters on 19 traits, including negative, positive, and control traits. Explicit and implicit labels generally increased ratings on positive traits (e.g. ‘proud’, ‘resilient’, and ‘fun’) in comparison to control characters with no sexual identity labels. In contrast, there were few effects of the label manipulation on ratings of negative traits (e.g. ‘attention-seeking’, ‘unreliable’, and ‘immoral’). These results suggest that in some contexts (liberal university), openly disclosing one’s sexual identity explicitly or implicitly may enhance positive perceptions from others.

Factors affecting the choice of delivery place in a rural area in Laos: A qualitative analysis.

BackgroundHome delivery (HD) without skilled birth attendants (SBAs) are considered crucial risk factors increasing maternal and child mortality rates in Loa PDR. While a few studies in the literature discuss the choice of delivery in remote areas of minority ethnic groups; our work aims to identify factors that indicated their delivery place, at home or in the health facilities.MethodsA community-based qualitative study was conducted between February and March 2020. Three types of interviews were implemented, In-depth interviews with 16 women of eight rural villages who delivered in the last 12 months in Xepon District, Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR. Also, three focus group discussions (FGDs) with nine HCPs and key-informant interviews of ten VHVs were managed. Factors affecting the choice of the delivery place were categorized according to the social-ecological model.ResultsOur sample included five Tri women and two Mangkong women in the HD group, while the FD group included three Tri women, two Mangkong women, one Phoutai woman, two Laolung women and one Vietnamese. Our investigation inside the targeted minority showed that both positive perceptions of home delivery (HD) and low-risk perception minorities were the main reasons for the choice of HD, on the individual level. On the other hand, fear of complication, the experience of stillbirth, and prolonged labour pain during HD were reasons for facility-based delivery (FD). Notably, the women in our minority reported no link between their preference and their language, while the HCPs dated the low knowledge to the language barrier. On the interpersonal level, the FD women had better communication with their families, and better preparation for delivery compared to the HD group. The FD family prepared cash and transportation using their social network. At the community level, the trend of the delivery place had shifted from HD to FD. Improved accessibility and increased knowledge through community health education were the factors of the trend. At the societal (national policy) level, the free delivery policy and limitation of HCPs’ assisted childbirth only in health facilities were the factors of increasing FD, while the absence of other incentives like transportation and food allowance was the factor of remaining of HD.ConclusionsBased on the main findings of this study, we urge the enhancement of family communication on birth preparedness and birthplace. Furthermore, our findings support the need to educate mothers, especially those of younger ages, about their best options regarding the place of delivery. We propose implementing secondary services of HD to minimize the emergency risks of HD. We encourage local authorities to be aware of the medical needs of the community especially those of pregnant females and their right for a free delivery policy.

Perspective-Taking in Virtual Reality and Reduction of Biases against Minorities

This study examines the effect of perspective-taking via embodiment in virtual reality (VR) in improving biases against minorities. It tests theoretical arguments about the affective and cognitive routes underlying perspective-taking and examines the moderating role of self-presence in VR through experiments. In Study 1, participants embodied an ethnic minority avatar and experienced workplace microaggression from a first-person perspective in VR. They were randomly assigned to affective (focus on emotions) vs. cognitive (focus on thoughts) perspective-taking conditions. Results showed that ingroup bias improved comparably across both conditions and that this effect was driven by more negative perceptions of the majority instead of more positive perceptions of minorities. In Study 2, participants experienced the same VR scenario from the third-person perspective. Results replicated those from Study 1 and extended them by showing that the effect of condition on ingroup bias was moderated by self-presence. At high self-presence, participants in the affective condition reported higher ingroup bias than those in the cognitive condition. The study showed that in VR, the embodiment of an ethnic minority is somewhat effective in improving perceptions towards minority groups. It is difficult to clearly distinguish between the effect of affective and cognitive routes underlying the process of perspective-taking.

Prevalence of Prejudice-Denoting Words in News Media Discourse: A Chronological Analysis

This work analyzes the prevalence of words denoting prejudice in 27 million news and opinion articles written between 1970 and 2019 and published in 47 of the most popular news media outlets in the United States. Our results show that the frequency of words that denote specific prejudice types related to ethnicity, gender, sexual, and religious orientation has markedly increased within the 2010–2019 decade across most news media outlets. This phenomenon starts prior to, but appears to accelerate after, 2015. The frequency of prejudice-denoting words in news articles is not synchronous across all outlets, with the yearly prevalence of such words in some influential news media outlets being predictive of those words’ usage frequency in other outlets the following year. Increasing prevalence of prejudice-denoting words in news media discourse is often substantially correlated with U.S. public opinion survey data on growing perceptions of minorities’ mistreatment. Granger tests suggest that the prevalence of prejudice-denoting terms in news outlets might be predictive of shifts in public perceptions of prejudice severity in society for some, but not all, types of prejudice.

The limits of tolerance: before and after Brexit and the German Refugee Crisis

ABSTRACT This comparative statistical analysis is of tolerance and how it was perceived and experienced by minorities and majorities in the UK and Germany before and after two defining national events that both focused on immigration and national identity. Based on combined sweeps of the European Social Survey (2012–2018), this study applied logistic regression modelling to determine that during the Brexit vote in 2016 and the German Refugee Crisis in 2015, majorities from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were more likely to be intolerant towards minorities, who were more likely to experience discrimination. Majority intolerance and minority perceptions of discrimination increased after both events among less well-off groups. However, majorities from higher socioeconomic backgrounds were less likely to exhibit intolerance towards minorities before these national events and after. This study offers an original perspective on race and ethnic relations at times of national crises over identity and belonging.

The vicarious effects of hate: inter-ethnic hate crime in the neighborhood and its consequences for exclusion and anticipated rejection

ABSTRACT Hate crime victimization is harmful for victims and those who share the victim’s identity. It may also be harmful for the broader community. Yet, few studies focus on the ripple effects of hate. This paper examines how secondary exposure to hate crime in the neighborhood, through witnessing or hearing about hate crime, influences individual perceptions of ethnic minorities, which in turn can harm social relations. Findings reveal that those who witness hate crime express greater anger towards ethnic minorities. Those who rely on second-hand information about hate crime in the community are more likely to anticipate rejection on the basis of their ethnicity, hold negative attitudes towards ethnic migrants and intend to take actions to exclude new migrants from their communities when compared to those who do not have such information. These findings have implications for community cohesion in multi-ethnic neighborhoods.

Explaining negative descriptions of Armenians in Turkish parliamentary speeches (1960–1980) via group position theory

This paper scrutinizes the role of Turkish politicians’ threat perception on negative descriptions of Armenians between 1960 and 1980. In so doing, it brings together the theoretical insights of group position theory with the scholarship on the perception of non-Muslim minorities in Turkey. Building on a comprehensive, mixed-method content analysis of Turkish parliamentary proceedings, it demonstrates that Turkish politicians are more likely to make negative comments about Armenians while debating about national security and foreign threats than when speaking about other topics. The paper concludes that perceived threats contribute to the negative descriptions of Armenians in Turkish politics.

The Face of American Government: Effects of Racial and Ethnic Firsts on Minority Perceptions of Government Responsiveness

What effect does seeing a member of a historically marginalized group in high-level office have on attitudes toward government among those who identify with that group? We hypothesize that, when salient, increased descriptive representation will increase feelings of government responsiveness among members of historically marginalized groups. Moreover, we hypothesize that this effect will persist even when substantive representation is not expected, that is, when the official is viewed as unlikely to represent the individual's own political interests. We explore this theory by taking advantage of two exogenous changes in descriptive representation: the election of the first African–American president, Barack Obama, and the confirmation of the first Latino on the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor. Using panel data and a difference-in-differences design, we analyze within-person changes in attitudes toward government among African–Americans and Latinos, from before to after these events. In doing so, we attempt to separate descriptive from anticipated substantive representation.

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF YOUNG PEOPLE’S HOMOPHOBIA

Despite all the positive changes due to European integration processes, the problem of prejudiced and negative attitudes towards people with “non-traditional sexual orientation” in Ukraine traditionally remains unresolved, homosexuality is taboo and it is “sinful”, and homophobic attitudes are often perceived as “truly moral” Christian virtues. The empirical study on psychological characteristics of the development and manifestation of young people’s homophobia performed by us has demonstrated existing contradictions in young people’s attitudes to homosexuality. On the one hand, young men and women belong to a fairly progressive, quite tolerant part of society. On the other hand, our data have revealed homophobic behaviour often manifested by young people. Many young people showed homo-negativism - denial and negative attitude towards certain aspects of homosexuality. Thus, very many young men and women believed that homosexuality was dangerous, since it could cause a “possible demographic crisis”, “spread of diseases”, “dissolution of the family as a social institution” and “harmful effects on a future generation’s psyche”. Many young people were convinced that an obviously demonstrated homosexual lifestyle increased the number of people with a non-traditional orientation, therefore gay pride parades, same-sex marriages, and adoption of children by homosexuals should be banned. Negative ideas about homosexual people and prejudice against them were formed not because young people’s own experience, since they practically did not know homosexuals, but due to stereotypical thinking, non-professional publications in the media and due to the lack of proper education in the field of gender psychology. In our opinion, homonegativism and homophobia shared by young people exist because of inadequate, not scientifically proven information about homosexual people, biased perception of sexual minorities based on shocking images of entertainers, film characters etc. We believe that overcoming homonegativism and homophobia is possible through the refutation of myths, stereotypes and prejudices regarding various aspects of human sexuality with psychological education and through an adequate state policy that should not contribute to anti-homosexual xenophobic attitudes.

Analysis on differences in Canada and China's official attitude and perception on their minority nationalities

The government’s perceptions and attitudes of their ethnic minorities are in close relation with the ethnic minorities’ welfare policies, and also affect the public’s perception of ethnic minorities. Therefore a government’s definition and attitudes are crucial to maintaining national stability. For instance, Canada is a multi-nation state, comprising multiple ethnic groups in one country, with the two most influential as the French-Canadians and the English-Canadians. French and English Canadians are majority ethnic groups while there are many other minority ethnic groups such as the First Nations. The People’s Republic of China is also a multi-nation state, although the biggest ethnic group, the Hans, comprise 98% of the entire population.11 Although all nations have their own cultural cognition - common descent, history, culture, and language - both Canada and China have their own unique definition for their minority nations: Canada’s minority nations are the Aboriginal People of Canada 22, and China’s minority nations are the 55 officially recognized ethnic groups other than the Han people. This essay aims to compare the official perceptions and attitudes of ethnic minorities in China and Canada, hoping to clarify the relationship between ethnic minorities and mainstream ethnic groups, and help the general public to understand them, hence promoting harmonious societal development.