On The Central Role Of “Threat Perception” Inmediating The Influence Of Socioeconomic Factors On Xenophobic Attitudes

Democratic government depends on more than formal institutions. It relies greatly on democratic political culture with the commitment of citizens to democratic values (Almond and Verba 1963). The willingness to protect minority rights in general and the willingness to accept and appreciate minorities both socially and culturally is one such democratic value. Yet xenophobia toward minorities is quite common in Western and other democracies. In Western Europe, there is recent evidence of the expansion of negative attitudes to outgroups such as ethnic minorities, religious minorities, and labor migrants (e.g., Boehnke, Hagan, and Hefler 1998).