Manifestations of hidden prejudice and discrimination towards immigrants in Iceland

Abstract

The present study aims to find out the nature and effect of everyday prejudice and discrimination in Iceland. The sample consisted of 89 participants, 72 of whom were of foreign origin while the remaining 17 were Icelandic. A recording form was constructed where 15 examples of disrespectful behavior were listed. Over a period of two weeks, the participants were asked to indicate each day whether they had experienced one of the examples that day, where it happened, and how it made them feel. The findings suggested a significant difference between the Icelandic and nonIcelandic samples in terms of perceived prejudice and discrimination. The feelings experienced by different participants in similar situations are similar, independent of origin.