The dynamics of adolescents‘ attitudes toward outgroups

The challenges associated with the integration of foreigners are very important and actual in many societies around the world. Negative attitudes towards foreigners are related to social issues such as racism, discrimination, social exclusion, crime, and extremism. The main aim of this project is to examine the effect of education and class/school environment on the development of attitudes towards foreigners. Literature on the liberalizing effect of education distinguishes three causal mechanisms: improving cognitive abilities, adopting liberal values, and obtaining a sense of control over one’s life. The project aims to test all three causal mechanisms using panel data that will be collected continuously over four years on a representative sample of high schools.

In autumn 2023, the first wave of data collection was carried out among first-year students of high schools. In total, 249 schools and more than 24,000 students from all over the Czech Republic participated in the survey. High schools included in the survey were selected by random sampling. The size of the sample, the diverse representation of fields of study, and the longitudinal nature make this research unique in the Czech environment. In 2024, the data from the first wave was analysed, several peer-reviewed publications were published and a research report on the results of the first wave was produced. A second wave of data collection took place in autumn 2024, involving 239 schools and more than 20,000 students. In 2025, the data from the second wave is being analyzed, further publications is being produced and the third wave of data collection is being prepared.