MEGATRENDS AND MEDIA

TRANSCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA ART
people. Despite some differences between the districts with a higher
proportion of Roma (Prerov/Vitkov) and with a minimal representation
of Roma (Kromeriz/Zlin), the graph shows that among adolescents,
negative perceptions about the Roma ethnicity predominate across
regions, age groups and the representation of the Roma population in
the school neighbourhood.
Chart 1 A personal relationship to Roma people, depending on region
Source: Author.
Besides the Roma minority we also investigated attitudes toward
followers of Islam. In 40 % of cases, we recorded a neutral response.
Only about 6 % of responses were of a positive nature. Responses of a
negative tone were recorded in 20 % of students. The results indicated
a high degree of negativity towards Muslims, which is probably related
to the society-wide negative perception of Islam and its adherents. This
sentiment is partly created and supported by the media, which to a large
degree displays prejudices about Muslims, creating the impression that
they are all terrorists and suicide bombers.
We consider it to be a substantial inding, that there is a noticeable
difference between the real attitudes of the respondents, which in some
cases manifest in xenophobic comments and similar opinions, and the
way they present their attitudes as tolerant (or ambivalent) towards
foreigners, different cultural and ethnic minorities and coexistence with
them. This discrepancy is made even more apparent by their evaluation
of the Czech society and of their relatives as xenophobic, racist and
intolerant. We explain this as an attempt of grammar school students
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