Attitudes Towards Foreign-born Settlers: Finland in a Comparative Perspective

Authors

• Heikki Ervasti

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23979/fypr.44997

Keywords:

racism, prejudice, immigration, Finland,

Abstract

The present paper focuses on the Finnish attitudinal climate towards foreign-born
settlers, i.e. immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers in a comparative perspective.
Two theoretical approaches are tested: 1) the socio-economic explanation in which
prejudice is seen as an outcome of the original majority population fearing a decline
of their socio-economic position, and 2) a culturally oriented explanation which refers
to fears concerning the possible negative cultural effects of immigration. Using survey
data from the ? rst round of the European Social Survey (ESS) on Finland and 18
other countries, we ? nd that at the most general level, Finns do hold comparatively
negative attitudes towards increasing the number of immigrants in Finland. However,
as we turn to more speci? c items on economic and especially cultural threat, we ? nd
that Finns are as tolerant or even more tolerant than other Europeans. Multivariate
analyses show that both socio-economic factors and values, ideologies and religiosity
may generate prejudice. The two theoretical approaches should, thus, not be taken
as alternatives but rather as complementary theories.