Racial Preferences in Online Dating Across European Countries

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Serval ID
serval:BIB_FD46F9B7A32E
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Racial Preferences in Online Dating Across European Countries
Journal
European Sociological Review
Author(s)
Potârcă Gina, Mills Melinda
ISSN
0266-7215
1468-2672
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2015
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
31
Number
3
Pages
326-341
Language
english
Abstract
Knowledge about how race governs partner selection has been predominantly studied in the United States, yet it is unclear whether these results can be generalized to nations with different racial and immigration patterns. Using a large-scale sample of online daters in nine European countries, we engage in the first cross-national analysis of race-related partner preferences and examine the link between contextual factors and ethnic selectivity. We provide a unique test of contact, conflict, and in-group identification theories. We show that individuals uniformly prefer to date same-race partners and that there is a hierarchy of preferences both among natives and minority groups. Notable country differences are also found. Europeans living in countries with a large foreign-born population have an increased preference for minority groups. The ethnically heterogeneous Swiss population displays the strongest preference for minorities, with the more homogenous Poland, Spain, and Italy, the least. Anti-immigrant attitudes are related to stronger in-group preferences among natives. Unexpectedly, non-Arabic minority daters belonging to large-size communities have strong preferences for Europeans. The results have implications for immigrant integration policies and demonstrate that Internet dating allows efficient selection by racial divisions, perpetuating country-specific racial inequalities.
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
16/07/2018 15:45
Last modification date
01/10/2019 7:20
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