Christian religion and ethnic prejudice in cross-national perspective - A comparative analysis of the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium)

Almost every student: of religion has heard about the research thesis that Christian religious beliefs and behaviors are not barriers against but cont ributing factors to the development and dispersal of ethnic and racial prej udice. This cross-societal study examines this accusing finger of social re search by using data from a 1985 Dutch survey and a 1991 Flemish survey con ducted in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. The findings indicate that in both societies neither church involvement nor Christian belief have an eff ect on ethnic prejudice, independent of important background characteristic ; (education and age) and social correlates (social and cultural localism, authoritarianism, and anomie). Regression analysis also reveals that, next to authoritarianism, the most important predictor variable of ethnic prejud ice in this comparative study is nationality per se. Implications of this f inding: for future research are discussed.