Liliia Korol

Societies are becoming more and more ethnically diverse, particularly due to a recent migrant crisis in Europe. Supporting harmonious inter-ethnic relations is a pressing concern with regard to the well-being and stability of the immigrant-receiving countries. Yet, anti-immigrant sentiments are on rise in Italy, and hard nationalist and xenophobic political moods are gaining more and more popularity across the whole country. Furthermore, ethnic minorities, and immigrant youth in particular, are often exposed to discrimination based on their ethnic origin. Such ethnic devaluation experiences take a great toll on minority youth’s socialization and adjustment into the host society.

To address this significant societal issue and fill an existing gap in research, this project aims to analyze the conditions that explain when Italian young people discriminate against immigrants. Specifically, the proposed research will examine: (i) to what extent tolerant and xenophobic attitudes towards immigrants of some Italian youth put ethnic minorities at risk for encountering ethnic discrimination; (ii) to what extent cross-group friendships play a role in these relations.

To provide a more comprehensive understanding of Italian youth’s reasons for engaging in ethnic discrimination, the project aims to apply interdisciplinary approach and build on theoretical and methodological premises of existing research on harassment and victimization in a wide range of disciplines. To analyze the relations between the variables of interest, multilevel analysis will be used to investigate the influence of inter-ethnic attitudes (i.e., tolerance and xenophobia) among Italian youth on their inclination to discriminate against immigrants on individual and group levels. The findings of the proposed research will not only advance scientific knowledge on ethnic discrimination but will also have broad implications for prevention and integration programs that aim to improve inter-ethnic relations in our ever-increasing multicultural community. Specifically, the project will provide some insight into tolerant and xenophobic attitudes among Italian youth as a potential avenue to ward off their involvement in ethnic discrimination as well as prevent negative experiences of ethnic harassment and victimization among ethnic minorities.