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Correcting Misperceptions

about Ethnic Discrimination

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

Merlin Schaeffer, Kryzstof Krakowski, und Asmus Olsen

2023-04-07

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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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Equal-treatment policies find little support

Post-stratification weighted results based on a random sample of 753 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 503 mainstream Danes (born in DK and both parents born in DK).

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Equal-treatment policies find little support

Severe cutback in majority priviledges

Post-stratification weighted results based on a random sample of 753 mainstream Danes (born in DK and both parents born in DK).

Softer policies

Post-stratification weighted results based on a random sample of 503 mainstream Danes (born in DK and both parents born in DK).

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Why is there so little support
for measures that are supposed to promote
a fundamental human right?

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Support for equal treatment=w⋅Fairness−(1−w)⋅Majority priviledges

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Hypothesis 1

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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.

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Elicitation of Mis-perceptions of discrimination

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).

→ A random 15 of respondents was corrected.

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Factual correction

  • Experimental-design by Haaland and Roth (2022).

→ A random 15 of respondents was corrected.

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).

→ A random 15 of respondents was corrected.

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

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Factual correction

  • Experimental-design by Haaland and Roth (2022).

→ A random 15 of respondents was corrected.

Post-stratification weighted OLS point estimate with robust 95% confidence interval. Results are adjusted for the extent of the initial mis-perception of discrimination, age, gender, region, education, household size, and labor force status. n = 1562, 758, 392, & 183.

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Factual correction

  • Experimental-design by Haaland and Roth (2022).

→ A random 15 of respondents was corrected.

Source: Haaland and Roth (2022)

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Hypothesis 2

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Framing scientific quality

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

→ A random 15 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."

Kristianna Bakkær Simonsen,
Aarhus Universitet

Martin Vinæs Larsen,
Aarhus Universitet

Jakob Majlund Holm,
Aarhus Universitet

Mathilde Cecchini,
Aarhus Universitet

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Framing scientific quality

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

Post-stratification weighted OLS point estimate with robust 95% confidence interval. Results are adjusted for the extent of the initial mis-perception of discrimination, age, gender, region, education, household size, and labor force status. n = 2342, 1137, 587, & 274.

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Hypotheses 3 & 4

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Framing legal and normative

→ A random 15 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

→ A random 15 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 Mohammed

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Framing

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

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

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

Post-stratification weighted OLS point estimate with robust 95% confidence interval. Results are adjusted for the extent of the initial mis-perception of discrimination, age, gender, region, education, household size, and labor force status. n = 3904, 1895, 979, & 457.

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Hypothesis 5

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Salience effect?

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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Salience effect?

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 95% confidence interval. Results are adjusted for the extent of the initial mis-perception of discrimination, age, gender, region, education, household size, and labor force status. n = 4660, 2401, 1735, & 963.

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Hypothesis 6 Pity money or indulgence trade (Ablasshandel)

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Hypothesis 6 Pity money or indulgence trade (Ablasshandel)

That was the last question in the survey. Thank you for your participation.

We will be drawing a lottery for 5000 Danish kroner among all participants. If you win, you can distribute the money between

  • yourself,
  • the Dansk Kvindesamfund [Danish Women's Society],
  • and the Indvandrer Kvindecentret [Immigrant Women's Center].

How will you distribute the money?

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Pity money or indulgence trade (Ablasshandel)

Post-stratification weighted OLS point estimate with robust 95% confidence interval. Results are adjusted for the extent of the initial mis-perception of discrimination, age, gender, region, education, household size, and labor force status. n = 5004 oder 1878.

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Support for equal treatment policies=w⋅Fairness−(1−w)⋅Majority priviledges

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Thank you for
for your Attention!

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References

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.

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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Discrimination of Muslims in Denmark

Labor market Source: Dahl and Krog (2018)

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