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Cited by 110Names, Identity, and Discrimination ResearchSocial and Intergroup PsychologyLabour Market and Migration

Taste or statistics? A correspondence study of ethnic, racial and religious labour market discrimination in Germany

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Koopmans, Ruud, Veit, Susanne, Yemane, Ruta·2019·Ethnic and Racial Studies
DOI 10.1080/01419870.2019.1654114
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Abstract

In this study we compare rates of discrimination across German-born applicants from thirty-five ethnic groups in which various racial and religious treatment groups are embedded, this study allows us to better distinguish taste and statistical sources of discrimination, and to assess the relative importance of ethnicity, phenotype and religious affiliation as signals triggering discrimination. The study is based on applications to almost 6,000 job vacancies with male and female applicants in eight occupations across Germany. We test taste discrimination based on cultural value distance between groups against statistical discrimination based on average education levels and find that discrimination is mostly driven by the former. Based on this pattern, ethnic, racial and religious groups whose average values are relatively distant from the German average face the strongest discrimination. By contrast, employers do not treat minority groups with value patterns closer to Germany’s different from ethnic German applicants without a migration background.

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  • Koopmans et al. (2019) found both Muslim organizational participation and Black race negatively associated with callbacks, but effects were slightly larger for Black race.

    “Koopmans et al. (2019) include both membership in religious organizations on the resume and race based on appearance in a photo in a correspondence study in Germany.They find that both Muslim organizational participation and Black race were negatively associated with callbacks, but the effects were slightly larger for Black race.”

    From Comparative Perspectives on Racial Discrimination in Hiring: The Rise of Field Experiments (2021) · cites this paper as Koopmans et al. (2019)

    The Multivariate results report significantly lower positive callback for both applicants with black phenotypes and applicants volunteering for a Muslim organization. They estimate the same seven-percentage-point penalty for each, not a slightly larger effect for Black race. The Descriptive results likewise show a larger callback gap for the Muslim signal than for Black phenotype. (LLM, conf=0.92)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Koopmans et al. (2019) found evidence that some discrimination against Turkish immigrants and Muslims may reflect evaluations of cultural differences from German people.

    “Using a regression procedure, Koopmans et al. (2019) find evidence that some of the discrimination against Turkish immigrants and Muslims may reflect evaluations of cultural differences from German people.”

    From Comparative Perspectives on Racial Discrimination in Hiring: The Rise of Field Experiments (2021) · cites this paper as Koopmans et al. (2019)

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Research works printed but not linked: 35

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Cited by

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Authors
Koopmans, R., Veit, S., & Yemane, R.
Affiliations
WZB Berlin Social Science Center (DE)
Corresponding author
Yemane, Ruta
ORCID
Venue
Ethnic and Racial Studies
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2019-09-09
Volume
42
Issue
16
Pages
233-252
ISSN
  • 0141-9870 (ISSN-L)
  • 1466-4356
DOI
10.1080/01419870.2019.1654114
OpenAlex
W2972583494
Cited by
110
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 2
FWCI
16.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Ethnic and Racial Studies (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • EconStor Open Access Articles (submittedVersion)
  • Econstor (Econstor) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Social Science Open Access Repository (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Names, Identity, and Discrimination Research
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Labour Market and Migration
Keywords
employment discrimination, taste discrimination, statistical discrimination, ethnic discrimination, racial discrimination, religious discrimination, job applications, phenotypes, religious affiliation, educational attainment, gender differences

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