Conclusions

Earlier Swedish research indicates widespread exclusionary attitudes and discriminatory treatment of people of migrant backgrounds from countries outside North-western Europe and North America (Mella & Palm 2007; Arai & Thoursie 2007). In line with these previous findings, chapter 5 on ‘perceptions of discrimination’ in this report indicates a tough climate facing those who are categorised as ‘Muslims’. After 9-11, these attitudes seem to have turned into overt hostility. The TIES data provide information about how Swedish schools were segregated during the period in which the respondents attended primary school. More than three out of four young people with a background in Turkey studied in schools where the share of children of migrants was more than 50 per cent, while about three out of four native children (the reference group) attended schools with almost no children of migrant background.