Replication Data for: Linguistic Assimilation Does Not Reduce Discrimination Against Immigrants: Evidence from Germany

Many western liberal democracies have witnessed increased discrimination against immigrants and opposition to multiculturalism. Prior research identifies ethno-linguistic differences between immigrant and native populations as the key source of such bias. Linguistic assimilation has therefore been proposed as an important mechanism to reduce discrimination and mitigate conflict between natives and immigrants. Using large-scale field experiments conducted in 29 cities across Germany--a country with a high influx of immigrants and refugees--we empirically test whether linguistic assimilation reduces discrimination against Muslim immigrants in every-day social interactions. We find that it does not; Muslim immigrants are no less likely to be discriminated against even if they appear to be linguistically assimilated. However, we also find that ethno-linguistic differences alone do not cause bias among natives in a country with a large immigrant population and state policies that encourage multiculturalism.

诸多西方自由民主国家均出现针对移民的歧视愈演愈烈，以及多元文化主义反对声浪攀升的态势。既往研究将移民与本土居民之间的民族语言差异，视作此类偏见产生的核心诱因。据此，语言同化被学界提出为减少歧视、缓和本土居民与移民间冲突的重要机制。本研究依托在德国——一个移民与难民涌入量极高的国家——29座城市开展的大规模实地实验，实证检验了语言同化能否在日常社会互动中降低针对穆斯林移民的歧视。研究结果表明，语言同化并未发挥此类作用：即便穆斯林移民呈现出语言同化的特征，其遭遇歧视的概率并未出现显著降低。不过本研究同时发现，在移民规模庞大且国家政策鼓励多元文化主义的国家中，仅靠民族语言差异并不会引发本土民众的偏见。