Predicting prejudice towards Muslims and homosexuals among adolescents in 15 European countries

Abstract

The present study aimed to get more insight into attitudes towards Muslims and homosexuals across 15 European Union Member States by focusing on individual-level variables (right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance theory, religious Christian identification) and country-level variables (masculinity, power distance, religiosity). Hypotheses were formulated based on dualprocess motivational model, social identity theory and cultural socialization. Multivariate multilevel analyses revealed that RWA and SDO are positively related to anti-Muslims and anti-homosexuals attitudes, while Christian religious identification was positively related to anti-homosexual attitudes only. Anti-Muslim and anti-homosexual attitudes were found to be higher in more masculine countries. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.