Leaving no one behind the imperative of inclusive development

Prejudice and discrimination 113
3. Attitudinal studies
One of the shortcomings of subjective perception data is that they measure
the views of those subject to discrimination and may therefore not be
representative of discriminatory intent. While measuring discrimination
through lived experiences can be an effective tool for diagnosing perceived
marginalization, it is more valid when complemented by measures of
prejudicial attitudes among dominant groups.
World Values Surveys assess prejudicial attitudes through a set of
questions on whether respondents would object to having certain groups of
people as neighbours. As shown in figure IV.2, the majority of respondents in
18 countries with data objected to having as neighbours persons suffering from
Figure IV.2
Percentage of survey respondents who object to having each of the
groups shown as neighbours 1 in selected countries, 2
1990-1994 and 2010-2014
80
70
60
Percentage
50
40
30
20
1990-1994
2010-2014
10
0
Source: World Values Survey, 1990-1994 and 2010-2014 waves.
1
The figure shows the percentage of respondents who mentioned each of the groups listed in their
response to the following question: “On this list are various groups of people. Could you please
mention any that you would not like to have as neighbours?”
2
Average percentage for 18 countries with data: Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Czech Republic, Chile,
China, India, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa, South
Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey.