The attitude of the residents of the Ural megapolis to migrants of different ethnicity from Central Asian countries: factor analysis

The attitude towards migrants of different ethnicity is an urgent problem for most countries due to the scale of external migration. The results of the analysis of the degree of tolerance to migrants can be influenced by the lack of understanding of the complex structure of the attitude, because it consists of several components, the content and essence of which are insufficiently studied. In Western and Russian scientific literature there is no unity of opinion about the conditions and factors that determine the attitude to migrants of different ethnicity. In May 2016, the authors of the article conducted a questionnaire survey on a representative sample of 485 residents of Yekaterinburg, living in this city for more than five years. The selection of respondents was made in accordance with the quota sample by sex, age and areas of residence in Yekaterinburg. The authors were interested in the attitude towards migrants of different ethnicity from Central Asian countries (Kazakhs, Kirghizs, Tadzhiks, Uzbeks, Turkmens). The attitude to migrants was measured using different scales. For example, the application of the social distance scale developed by Emory Bogardus showed that ethnic Kazakhs are perceived by the inhabitants of Yekaterinburg as a more socially close ethnic group than migrants of different ethnicity from other Central Asian countries. The analysis of the influence of national and religious affiliation, education, as well as socio-demographic characteristics on the attitude of migrants of different ethnicity, revealed the absence of statistical correlations. Using factor analysis the authors were able to analyse the attitudes revealing the position of the residents of Yekaterinburg relative to migrants. This is the recognition of the acceptability of belonging to the same social community with migrants, the degree of benevolence for the stay of migrants in the city and focus on optimising the interaction of local population and migrants. It is possible to talk about the existence of fundamentally different attitudes presented in the form of three latent variables and its relation to national cultural attitudes and real practices in the field of relations with migrants. It was shown that the attitude of the receiving community towards migrants of different ethnicity is influenced not by the socio-demographic characteristics of the residents of Yekaterinburg, but by their national-cultural and behavioural characteristics: the attitude to their own nationality and culture, as well as the experience of interaction with migrants.

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