The Sources of Anti-Muslim Prejudice in Poland

Abstract

Using data from a nationally representative survey of Poles, the principal question I examine is whether anti-Muslim prejudice in Poland primarily stems from negative stereotypes of Muslims, a general discomfort with difference (or ethnocentrism), or threats related to economic insecurity. I also seek to determine whether interpersonal contact with Muslims dilutes prejudice toward Muslims as a group and investigate how the links between stereotyping and ethnocentrism on the one hand and anti-Muslim prejudice on the other depend on respondents’ education. While I find that anti-Muslim prejudice is shaped by negative stereotypes of Muslims and pessimistic perceptions of Poland’s economy, it primarily reflects a more general discomfort with difference. As expected, the strength of the link between stereotypes of Muslims and prejudice toward them depends on how educated Poles are.