Only three percent of citizens are completely or partially satisfied with the presence of foreign workers in Croatia, 97 percent are dissatisfied or neutral, no one wants them in their family, and less than 3 percent would accept them as friends, the Migration Research Institute announced, writes HRT.
The Institute for Migration Research, in cooperation with the Medianet agency, conducted the second wave of research on the attitudes of Croatian citizens towards foreign workers in early November on a nationally representative sample of 1000 adult Croatian citizens who were surveyed by telephone.
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The results of this year’s survey show an increase in criticism compared to the previous year – 20,63 percent of citizens express complete dissatisfaction with the presence of foreign workers, more than in the first wave of the survey when that share was 16,5 percent, 42,16 percent are partially dissatisfied, and 34,13 percent are neutral, the Institute announced.
Satisfaction is expressed by a minority of respondents – 2,78 percent are partially satisfied, and 0,30 percent are completely satisfied.
Compared to last year’s results, there is a change in the structure of reasons for dissatisfaction. Fear of crime was also present last year, when, in addition to the security aspect, one of the most prominent reasons for dissatisfaction was the view that there is too much cultural diversity in Croatia.
Fear of crime, economic and work reasons
This year, the most common reason for dissatisfaction remains the fear of an increase in crime, cited by 69,8 percent of dissatisfied respondents, but economic and work reasons are followed by emphasis.
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51,7 percent of citizens state that they are concerned about the reduction of employment opportunities for domestic workers, and 47,7 percent state that the cost of labor and work standards are being lowered.
Cultural differences and disagreements were cited by 48,8 percent of respondents, but with a lower intensity than in the previous wave, which shows that the reasons for dissatisfaction have shifted towards safety and labor-economic explanations.
Among citizens who are satisfied with the presence of foreign workers, the main reason stands out as cultural diversity, cited by 87,1 percent of satisfied respondents, which, according to those surveyed, contributes to intercultural exchange and the enrichment of social life.
Other reasons include a decrease in unemployment (58,1 percent), an increase in economic productivity (48,4 percent) and greater availability of certain services (19,4 percent).
High level of social distance towards foreign workers
This year, social distance towards foreign workers was measured for the first time, and the results indicate a high degree of social reservation towards foreign workers.
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The survey results showed that almost none of the respondents wanted a foreign worker to become a member of their family, only 2.4 percent of citizens wanted them as friends, 5.7 percent would accept them as neighbors, and around 10 percent wanted them as work colleagues.
The results show that acceptance of foreign workers is most pronounced in the work environment, while closer forms of social relationships are rarely acceptable.
Analysis of socio-demographic characteristics shows that attitudes towards foreign workers are largely uniform by gender, age and level of education, with minor deviations. Younger respondents are somewhat more likely to express neutral or slightly positive attitudes, while older respondents more often cite security reasons for dissatisfaction.
Differences by gender and education are minimal, however, differences by employment status are more pronounced – unemployed respondents are more likely to express negative attitudes and particularly emphasize concerns about jobs and economic insecurity.
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Working people cite similar reasons, but to a lesser extent, while retirees emphasize safety aspects somewhat more often.
Findings show that integration will be a significant challenge
– While last year the main reasons for dissatisfaction were fear of crime and the perception of too much cultural diversity, this year citizens are significantly more likely to express concerns related to the impact of the arrival of foreign workers on safety, job availability and wages, and to a lesser extent they express concern for their own culture and values, points out the head of the research. Ivan Balabanic.
– The research also shows that Croatian citizens do not want to have almost any personal relationships with foreign workers, which suggests, Balabanić adds, that they perceive them primarily as temporary labor, rather than as potential fellow citizens.
– Since integration is a two-way process in which foreign workers need to accept Croatian culture and values, but the local population also needs to show openness towards the cultural diversity of foreign workers, these findings indicate that the integration of foreign workers into Croatian society will be a significant challenge, concludes Balabanić.
Director of the Institute Marina Peric Kaselj emphasizes that such research is extremely important because it allows us to base discussions about foreign workers in Croatia on verified, empirical insights, rather than assumptions or individual impressions.
– Systematic collection and analysis of data enables informed political decisions and the development of strategies based on real trends and problems. This is precisely why we believe that continuous monitoring of this phenomenon is necessary for effective migration management and the development of sustainable public policies, concludes Perić Kaselj.
Source: HRT
Photo: Pexels
