20% of St. Petersburg residents are intolerant of “newcomers”

In early February, the results of a sociological survey aimed at identifying xenophobic attitudes among the inhabitants of St. Petersburg were made public.

The study was conducted in 2005, 500 respondents participated in the survey. At the same time, sociologists deliberately did not name specific ethnic groups, but clarified their attitude towards abstract "newcomers."

The overall result of the survey is disappointing. 20% of St. Petersburg residents showed signs of xenophobia, with pensioners being the most intolerant.

65% of citizens do not attach importance to whether their neighbors or colleagues are visitors. However, 16% of respondents do not want to live with visitors on the same landing, and 13% do not want to work together.

20% of Petersburgers would not like their children to be friends with newcomers, and 27% would not like the newcomer to become the husband (wife) of their child.

The age distribution of xenophobic sentiments is as follows:

among those over 65 - 31 percent;

among 25-34 year olds - 26%;

among young people aged 18-24 - 20%.

However, while xenophobia is in a latent form, it is revealed not in direct, but only in indirect questions (for example, about attracting foreign legionnaires to Zenit and building a "Chinese" and "Italian" quarters in St. Petersburg). When asked directly about the approval of violent extremist manifestations, the vast majority of respondents - 96% - have a negative attitude. "We consider this indecent. It's good that there is at least such a deterrent ," summed up the sociologist Roman Mogilevsky, who presented the results of the survey.

Sources

• Balueva Alexandra. Fathers, so it came from you? // Fontanka.Ru. 2006. February 6.