"Unfortunately, we are. Those research and interesting: they publicly show our most attractive collective physiognomy, "says the head of SKDS Arnis Cothens, commenting on individual results in the study of intercultural stereotypes and prejudices in Latvia, writes rus.lsm.lv.
For example, about a third of the respondents (29%) of Latvians - albeit a minority, but significant - believe that people belonging to some ethnic groups or races are more stupid from birth.
Study of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the University of Latvia "Intercultural Stereotypes and Prejudice in Latvia" (Starpkultūu Stereotipi Un AizsPriedumi Latvijā, PDF), during which the SKDS public opinion service interviewed more than 1,000 residents of Latvia, was held in the summer of last year.
Authors - Martins Kapranz, Inta Meierine and Andris Saulitis - Through SKDS, asked Latvians a number of detailed questions about their attitude towards various national and cultural groups. Results, sometimes unexpected, and often not flattering, published recently on the Institute website.
Esmu Latvietis or "I am Russian". Yes, it is important
Judging by polls, ethnocentrism (preference for its ethnic group, when it is taken for the standard and "center of the world", through the prism of which the other life phenomena, culture, traditions, etc. - S.P.) are more characteristic of Latvians than for Russians , summarize the authors. That's what it looks like.Despite the significant number of respondents, which believe that the nationality of a person speaks a lot about himself, during discussions in focus groups (and in Russians, and in Latvian), categorical opinions on this topic almost did not sound. On the contrary, the answers were dominated about the importance of individual qualities of a person, the authors note. Does this mean that judgments about a person on belonging to the group are recognized (in this case, the participants of the focus group) as "slippery" or even not approved in society?
If even in the group, there will be someone of fascist views and hated Jews, but he will feel himself surrounded by liberal intellectuals - he will simply not say that he really thinks.
It is in online surveys, where a person feels an anonymous, actually manifested who he thinks. And when the same must be said in the eye, everything is not so transparent. "
Russians (Latvians, Gypsies, Africans, ...) just "stupid about birth"?
From the national (self) identification, the authors turn to matters that, in their opinion, are already sources (AVOTI) of chauvinism and racism.
"Representatives of some races or ethnic groups are simply born with less mental abilities?" With this statement, not according to the majority of respondents - 60%. But according to albeit the minority, but very significant - 29% of all respondents, and the Latvian has the most higher, the authors indicate.
"Maybe these people look that we do not go so well with the government - and so judge about themselves?", "Arnis Cotinsh. And with an unknown laughter adds: "Unfortunately, we are. Those research and interesting: they publicly show our not the most attractive collective physiognomy. We are not particularly tolerant. A significant part of people lives with large or smaller prejudices. And, in my assessment, our collective physiognomy is more curved than we ourselves seem. "
In response to another question - about the significant superiority of some cultures over others - this position was confirmed by 34% of respondents. Here, by the way, there is almost a consensus between Russian and Latvians (34% and 33%, respectively). At the same time, among the surveyed Russians 56%, and among the Latvians, 59%, they consider all cultures equivors. As the authors indicate, Latvians more often than Russian or other minorities are prone to stereotyping others by ethnic sign.
These data may seem in some sense unexpected. Usually, if chauvinism is mentioned in the local public discourse - almost always it will be Velikorvsky (see for example). But according to polls, we see a completely different picture.
"Latvians are sufferers, the people of orphans. Well, what kind of orphan people may be chauvinism, right? " - Laughing Cothens. And explains: the part of the Latvian has an unreasonable arrogance in relation to other groups. "I myself would not say that the chauvinism is very common among the Latvians, it seems to me, rather, it is very situational manifestations. But this survey shows that there are such ugly moments, although I would be more pleasant if they were not so pronounced.
On the other hand, despite the nationalism and chauvinism, despite these strange answers, on the street we do not particularly see any obvious problems, conflicts of the national-chauvinistic color. Rather, it will be some manifestations of rudeness if someone came to your leg. But we see it very often on the Internet, on social networks, where people feel their anonymity. But Internet comments do not give us the feeling of how much this phenomenon is spread.
As you know by research, a relatively small percentage of the population comments on the Internet, and these comments do not characterize the opinion of the majority. "
Russians belong to the Latvians noticeably warmer than Latvians to the Russian
There is no negative between the Russians and Latvians, the authors say - and judging by the "thermometer of the senses used in the study, it is. However, the Russians towards Latvians are noticeable warmer than Latvians to the Russians.During the survey of respondents, they requested their attitude to cultural groups within the framework of the "Thermometer" scale, from 0 (very cold or negative sensations) to 100 (very warm or positive). As a result, it turned out that the mutual feelings of Latvians and Russians are warm, with Russians - noticeably warmer.
Feelings of Russians to Latvians and Latvians to the Russian
For comparison: to its own group and Russians and Latvians are equally warm - on 87 points. It's funny that approximately half of the respondents in each of the groups rated its attitude to "ethnic" to the highest score - 100.
In the interpretation of authors, 49 and less points is a negative or cold attitude to the group, and 25 and less - very negative. What is the percentage of Latvians and Russians who relate to each other negatively or very negative? That's what it looks like.
The average of the Latvian attitude towards the Jews (which is in political discourse several times a year, when the date associated with the Holocaust is noted, they are called "their" and "our") - "barely warm", barely goes to the positive part of the thermometer scale (52). The Russian thermometer in relation to the Jews is slightly warmer - 60.
Judging by the survey, the proportion of those who appreciated their feelings for the Jews as cold, i.e. Negative, above among the Latvians. But among Russian-speaking it is essential.
At the same time, the Russian-speaking is also noticeable above the proportion of those who relate to the Jews are very positive (in the range of 75 to 100 points).
However, all this looks not so bad against the background of the relationship of Latvian residents to the strategic allies of Latvia, Americans. It is also barely warm.
Friendly and disloyal Russians
Common group stereotypes (including negative color) become visible when the respondents give a list of national groups, and ask to answer which of them correspond to a certain statement (p. 28, 70)."They are disloyal to the Latvian state": 27% of respondents, for whom the native language and the language of communication in the family is Latvian, agreed that this statement in relation to Russian is fair. In their eyes, this is the second in reality group (more often called Muslims - 35%). Ukrainians in the disloyal recorded 9% of Latvians, the Jews - 10%, Roma - 15%, and themselves, Latvians - 1%. Another 16% believe that no group does not correspond to this statement, and 26% found it difficult to answer.
When the same question was asked to respond with Russian-speaking, disloyalty on the group sign did not define almost two thirds of the respondents (they did not name the disloyal group of 29% of respondents, and found it difficult to answer - 34%). What is similar to Russian and Latvian survey participants - the most disloyal group and those, and others consider Muslims (however, the Russian share of considered so significantly less - 23%). Finally, from among the Russian-speaking respondents, 5% noted as a non-coordinal group.
Negative stereotypes about other groups are more common among Latvians than among Russians (see Tables 19 and 20 in the study). At the same time, this does not always correlate with the data of the "thermometer of feelings."
For example, with disloyal Russians, as a group consider 27% of the Latvians, while the negative attitude to the Russian (according to the thermometer) is 11% of Latvians. It turns out a little paradoxical: from those Latvians who consider Russian disloyal, more than half have positive emotions to them.
Latvia is one of the best countries of the world? Looking for someone
As the authors of the study, despite the difficulty of an interethnic political agenda between Russian and Latvians, according to surveys between them, serious problems are not visible. Despite: Despite the folding of Russian education, the appointment of the "Russian" parties to the role of "untouchables" for any coalition, and ethnically charged discussions around May 9 - only 1% of Russians belong to the Latvians negatively.
However, there is one group of issues where the availability of a political discourse - at least probably.
Cardinal differences among the Latvians and Russian-speaking are visible in the manifestations of patriotism and the assessment of Latvia, the authors indicate.
Latvians more often (59% of respondents) feel proud when they think about Latvia. Among the larger, the largest group chooses the answer "None, nor no."
About the people of Latvia and the root nation
Thinking about belonging to the people of Latvia, and about the symbolic borders that make a person part of the people of Latvia, in the discussions of focus groups, the knowledge of the Latvian language and the adoption of the culture of Latvia was most often called. Such a vision puts forward the Latvian people as a cultural, and not ethnic category on the fore, the authors conclusion. And immediately add: "True, in the light of political sympathy you can see significant differences.The participants of the Latvian focal groups, choosing, for which party to vote in the elections of the Seimas, emphasize the priority of the interests of the Latvian ethnic group. " The opinion of the participant of the focal group, which believes that the choice should be "in favor of the indigenous nation." In the Russian-speaking environment, the political attitude is more fragmented, and more relief appears to avoid political forces that emphasize ethnic issues, draw the authors.
About the Russian president and the Jewish son-in-law
Would you receive Russian, Latvian, Jew, African, Roma (and others) as a colleague? And as a friend? And the spouse of your grown baby? President of the country? Just a neighbor?
Only 13% of Latvians during the survey indicated that they were ready to accept the representative of any cultural group (including Romov, "Africans", Muslims, Chinese, etc.) as president or member of the family (spouses). Among national minorities (mostly, these are Russian) does not object to any inocultural president or the son-in-law is also a minority, but more significant - 22%.
Russian husband for his daughter (wife for the Son) is not ready to take 12% of Latvians, Latvian - 4% of Russians. Jews do not want 28% of Latvians and 12% of Russians. And as president of Latvia, a significant minority of Latvians (39%) is not ready to see either Russian, nor the Jew, whereas among the Russian President-Jew are not ready to take 17%, and their own (Russians) - 9% (against the President-Latvian tuned 0 , 5% of Russians and 1.2% Latvians).
"Unfortunately, this is this: in relation to the Jews in our society more bias and stereotypes than in relation to Russians, Ukrainians or Belarusians. Unfortunately, "says Kotynsh.
About assimilation. Every sixth Russian - for, every fourth - in doubt?
During the survey, respondents were offered to express their consent or disagreement with such a statement: "It is better if the national minorities refuse their customs and traditions, instead of them by making local" ("local" - so in the survey questionnaire).
Here, in part, the answers of Russian respondents unexpectedly grouped, because in the interpretation of the authors of the study, in this case we are talking about attitudes towards assimilation and "passing the culture of the dominant group." We do not agree or completely disagree (refuse to learn local traditions) - 56%. I agree and absolutely agree - 16%, that is, every sixth. And the remaining 28% could not answer any yes, nor no. (p. 41). And it is rather strange. Why?
In July-September last year, Ie practically simultaneously with this study, the same SKDS as part of another large project "sighting" interviewed those residents of Latvia, for whom Russian is or native, or the language of daily communication in the family.
One of the results, surprised then experts, was as follows: despite the long-term policy of transferring schools of national minority schools to Latvian, the overwhelming majority of respondents - 88% - they said that they consider it an important opportunity to receive school education in their native language. Only 6% said that they do not consider or rather do not consider it important. It turned out to be surprising that in the answers there was no significant difference between generations, that is, it turned out to be important for young people.
And the second: 84% of respondents then reported that the Russian-speaking cultural space for them is the main one (an explanation was made to the question: "You prefer to read books, watch movies, communicate on the Internet in Russian"). And also without a significant difference between generations. As he also surprised experts who were waiting for the youth to go to Latvian or English language space.
That is, the results of two SKDS polls made at the same time, do not really agree with each other.