Stereotypes and meta-stereotypes among Finnish Muslim- and Christian-background youth

ABSTRACT Previous empirical research on meta-stereotypes has shown that they have a great influence on intergroup relations, which makes it interesting to study interreligious meta-stereotypes in Finland – a society that has traditionally been characterised as Christian, but which today is more culturally diverse, and in which Islam is perceived as incompatible with Finnish culture. This article examines the meta-stereotypes and stereotypes held by Muslim- and Christian-background adolescents (N = 186) by defining how Muslim- and Christian-background youth perceive that the outgroup (Christians and Muslims, respectively) appraises them, and by investigating whether the shared meta-stereotypes of the outgroup reflect their stereotypes. The participants described their meta-stereotypes and stereotypes in their responses to the open-ended questions of a questionnaire. The qualitative and quantitative content analysis showed that the Christian-background youth thought that Muslims were norm-conforming and sociable, whereas the Muslim-background youth thought Christians see them as radicalised and unsociable. The Christian-background youth in turn believed that Muslims see them as infidels and intolerant, but the Muslim-background youth mostly described Christians as sociable. The findings are discussed from the Finnish societal perspective; participants are not only affiliated with different religions; they may also differ from each other in terms of status and power.