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Correcting Misperceptions

about Ethno-Racial Discrimination

The Limits of Evidence-Based Awareness Raising to Promote Support for Equal-Treatment Policies

Merlin Schaeffer, Kryzstof Krakowski, and Asmus Olsen

2023-10-17

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Discrimination of Muslims in Denmark

Labor market Source: Dahl and Krog (2018)

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Discrimination of Muslims in Denmark

Labor market Source: Dahl and Krog (2018)

In international comparison Source: Quillian and Midtbøen (2021)

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Discrimination of Muslims in Denmark

Labor market Source: Dahl and Krog (2018)

Housing market Source: Herby and Haagen Nielsen (2015)

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Discrimination of Muslims in Denmark

Primary schools Source: Olsen, Kyhse-Andersen, and Moynihan (2021)

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Discrimination of Muslims in Denmark

Primary schools Source: Olsen, Kyhse-Andersen, and Moynihan (2021)

Municipality politicians Source: Dinesen, Dahl, and Schiøler (2021)

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Discrimination of Muslims in Denmark

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Little recognition of the problem

Post-stratification weighted results based on a random sample of 1,012 mainstream Danes (born in DK and both parents born in DK)

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Equal-treatment policies find little support

Post-stratification weighted results based on a random sample of 1,007 mainstream Danes (born in DK and both parents born in DK)

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⇒ Do our efforts to identify and describe the extent of ethno-racial discrimination

also succeed in raising public recognition and support for equal-treatment polices?

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Hypothesis 1

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Elicitation of Mis-perceptions of discrimination

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Elicitation of Mis-perceptions of discrimination

Experimental-design by Haaland and Roth (2022): "Beliefs About Racial Discrimination and Support for Pro-Black Policies" in the US.

Now we are interested in hearing your thoughts on a recent social science study.

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen conducted a study on discrimination against non-Western minorities in Danish primary schools. They did this by sending fictitious applications to primary schools in Denmark, where a parent requested to transfer their child to the school's 3rd grade.

The fictitious applications were exactly the same except for one thing: the name of the father of the child who was to be admitted to the school and who sent the email. Half of the applications had a typically Danish-sounding name such as "Peter Nielsen," while the other half had a typically Muslim-sounding name such as "Mohammad Osman."

The researchers wanted to find out whether schools would view the exact same application more positively if it was sent by a parent with a Danish-sounding name compared to a parent with a Muslim-sounding name.

Out of 100 fictitious applications with Danish-sounding names, 25 of the applications were able to get the child admitted to the school.

What do you think: out of 100 fictitious applications with Muslim-sounding names, how many of the applications were able to get the child admitted to the school?

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It's not for a lack of wokeness

Mis-perception of ethnic discrimination by primary schools

Post-stratification weighted results based on a random sample of 1041 mainstream Danes (born in DK and both parents born in DK).

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It's not for a lack of wokeness

Post-stratification weighted results based on a random sample of each approx. 1041 mainstream Danes (born in DK and both parents born in DK).

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Factual correction

Experimental-design by Haaland and Roth (2022).

→ Correction: A random 16 of respondents was provided with actual result of field experiment.

→ No correction: A random 16 of respondents was not and serves as control.

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Factual correction

Experimental-design by Haaland and Roth (2022).

→ Correction: A random 16 of respondents was provided with actual result of field experiment.

→ No correction: A random 16 of respondents was not and serves as control.

The researchers found that out of 100 fictitious applications with Muslim-sounding names, 15 of the applications were able to get the child admitted to the school. In comparison, 25 out of 100 applications were able to get the child admitted to the school when the application had a Danish-sounding name.

This means that primary schools were 67% more likely to admit a student with a Danish-sounding name compared to a student with a Muslim-sounding name.

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Factual correction

Experimental-design by Haaland and Roth (2022).

→ Correction: A random 16 of respondents was provided with actual result of field experiment.

→ No correction: A random 16 of respondents was not and serves as control.

Post-stratification weighted OLS regression with 95% confidence interval. n = 1669.

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Factual correction

Post-stratification weighted results. On the right: OLS point estimate with robust 90 & 95% confidence intervals. Results are adjusted for the extent of the initial misperception of discrimination, type of field experiment, age, gender, region, education, household size, and labor force status. n = 769.

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Factual correction

Post-stratification weighted results. On the right: OLS point estimate with robust 90 & 95% confidence intervals. Results are adjusted for the extent of the initial misperception of discrimination, type of field experiment, age, gender, region, education, household size, and labor force status. n = 1562 & 758.

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Factual correction

Post-stratification weighted results. On the right: OLS point estimate with robust 90 & 95% confidence intervals. Results are adjusted for the extent of the initial misperception of discrimination, type of field experiment, age, gender, region, education, household size, and labor force status. n = 1,189.

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Replicates Situation for Black US Americans

Source: Haaland and Roth (2022)

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Framing?

Framing: The process by which a person uses a socially-constructed schema of interpretation to conceptually organize and understand an object, experience, or event (Goffman, 1974, page 21).


Possibly necessary because:

  1. Fictional persons,

  2. Evidence only in the aggregat.

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Hypotheses 2, 3 & 4

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Framing scientific quality

Advancement of experimental-designs by Haaland and Roth (2022).

→ Correction: A random 16 of respondents was provided with actual result of field experiment.

→ Researcher: A random 16 of respondents additionally received the following framing of the correction:

We asked #Name, who is a university researcher, for a comment on the study. S/he explained:

"The results are credible. The study was conducted according to the highest standards of evidence within the research field."

Kristina Bakkær Simonsen,
Aarhus Universitet

Martin Vinæs Larsen,
Aarhus Universitet

Jakob Majlund Holm,
Aarhus Universitet

Mathilde Cecchini,
Aarhus Universitet

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Framing legal and normative

→ Lawyer: A random 16 of respondents additionally received the following framing of the correction:

We asked #Name, who is a lawyer, for a comment on the study. S/he explained:

"The results are alarming. Discrimination like this is prohibited by Danish law."

Tine Birkelund,
Institut for Menneske Rettigheder

Nikolaj Nielsen,
Institut for Menneske Rettigheder

Tarek Hussein,
Institut for Menneske Rettigheder

Nanna Margrethe Krusaa,
Institut for Menneske Rettigheder

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Framing personal and affective

→ Affected: A random 16 of respondents additionally received the following framing of the correction:

We asked #Name, who is a non-Western minority person, for a comment on the study. S/he explained:

"The results make me sad. It worries me to hear that people with a name like mine are not treated equally."

Loubna Mekhchoun

Mohammed Al'Bannay

Hassan Musse

Yasmin Mohamed

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No framing effects

Post-stratification weighted OLS point estimate with robust 90 & 95% confidence intervals. Results are adjusted for the extent of the initial misperception of discrimination, type of field experiment, age, gender, region, education, household size, and labor force status. n = 2,973, 3,904, 1,895 & 2,973.

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No subgroup differences

Machine learning based analysis of effect heterogeneity according to Chernozhukov, Demirer, Duflo, and Fernández-Val (2022).

Recognition

Name-blind applications

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Hypothesis 5

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Priming?

→ Control 0: A random 16 of respondents was not exposed to the initial elicitation:

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen conducted a study on discrimination against non-Western minorities in Danish primary schools. They did this by sending fictitious applications to primary schools in Denmark, where a parent requested to transfer their child to the school's 3rd grade.

...

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Priming?

→ Control 0: A random 16 of respondents was not exposed to the initial elicitation:

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen conducted a study on discrimination against non-Western minorities in Danish primary schools. They did this by sending fictitious applications to primary schools in Denmark, where a parent requested to transfer their child to the school's 3rd grade.

...

Post-stratification weighted OLS point estimate with robust 90 & 95% confidence intervals. Results are adjusted for the extent of the initial misperception of discrimination, type of field experiment, age, gender, region, education, household size, and labor force status. n = 2,973, 3,904, 1,895 & 2,973.

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It's the misfits fault

Post-stratification weighted results based on a random sample of 1,003 mainstream Danes (born in DK and both parents born in DK)

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Conclusion


Evidence-based awareness raising is unlikely to be successful.

While citizens may donate to recognize minority hardships,

they hesitate to endorse policies that could impact their group's privileges.




Thank you for
for your Attention!

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References

Chernozhukov, V., M. Demirer, E. Duflo, et al. (2022). Generic Machine Learning Inference on Heterogenous Treatment Effects in Randomized Experiments.

Dahl, M. and N. Krog (2018). "Experimental Evidence of Discrimination in the Labour Market: Intersections between Ethnicity, Gender, and Socio-Economic Status". In: European Sociological Review, pp. 402-417.

Dinesen, P. T., M. Dahl, and M. Schiøler (2021). "When Are Legislators Responsive to Ethnic Minorities? Testing the Role of Electoral Incentives and Candidate Selection for Mitigating Ethnocentric Responsiveness". In: American Political Science Review, pp. 450-466.

Goffman, E. (1974). Frame analysis: An essay on the organization of experience. Harvard University Press.

Haaland, I. and C. Roth (2022). "Beliefs about Racial Discrimination and Support for Pro-Black Policies". In: The Review of Economics and Statistics, pp. 1-15.

Herby, J. and U. Haagen Nielsen (2015). "Rapport om etnisk diskrimination pa boligmarkedet".

Olsen, A. L., J. H. Kyhse-Andersen, and D. Moynihan (2021). "The Unequal Distribution of Opportunity: A National Audit Study of Bureaucratic Discrimination in Primary School Access". In: American Journal of Political Science.

Quillian, L. and A. H. Midtbøen (2021). "Comparative Perspectives on Racial Discrimination in Hiring: The Rise of Field Experiments". In: Annual Review of Sociology, pp. 391-415.

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Appendix

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Immigration based diversity

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Danish xenophobia in comparison

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Danes are good at guessing

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Recollection of correction

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Person specific treatment effects

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Discrimination of Muslims in Denmark

Labor market Source: Dahl and Krog (2018)

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