Weerstand tegen scholen met allochtone kinderen: De etnische tolerantie van hoger opgeleiden op de proef gesteld [Resistance against schools with allochthonous pupils: a test of the ethnic tolerance of the higher educated]

Abstract

In Dutch schools, processes of ethnic segregation take place. In this contribution we focus on the extent of resistance of autochthonous people to have their children in schools that are to some extent segregated. We investigate to what extent this resistance varies with different concentrations and with the extent of assimilation of allochthonous pupils. We set out to answer the following questions: (1) to what extent is there variation in the resistance to schools with different concentrations of allochthonous (non-) assimilated children, among lowly respectively highly educated people? (2) to what extent can we explain these relationships between educational level and resistance to schools with allochthonous children, i.e., relationships that vary with the extent of concentration and with the extent of assimilation of the allochthonous children? These questions will be answered with large-scale survey data among a representative sample of the Dutch population. We find that resistance to schools with allochthonous children is more widespread in cases of high concentrations of allochthonous children. We also find that resistance is more widespread in cases of non-assimilated children versus assimilated children. As concentrations of allochthonous children increase, this resistance becomes more widespread, particularly among highly educated people, sometimes even more widespread than among lowly educated people. Resistance among highly respectively lowly educated people can be explained partially by different political attitudes.