ABSTRACT

This chapter presents some results of an analysis of determinants of Poles' attitudes towards various national and ethnic groups based on opinion polls conducted in the 1990s. It examines comparative measures of racism and ethnic intolerance in Poland and other European countries used in the European Values Study (EVS). The chapter analyses the influence of education and other socio-demographic variables, as well as various socio-psychological and political attitudes on the willingness to accept people of another race and ethnic groups as neighbours in Poland in comparison with other European countries. The EVS data allows not only some cross-national comparisons but also testing for the effect of some predictors of racism and ethnic intolerance in European countries. Racism and ethnic intolerance have also been linked to such values, attitudes, and dispositions as general distrust, emotional instability, dissatisfaction with life and ones' financial situation, materialism, conformist or right wing political orientations, religiosity, moral absolutism and rejection of economic and political liberalism.