No Place for Prejudice - Maxwell

There can be no place for prejudice and discrimination if we are to ensure Scotland's future success as a welcoming, modern nation, says Stewart Maxwell. The Communities Minister's comments follow the publication of the 2006 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey report on discrimination, launched today.

The research, conducted by the Scottish Centre for Social Research, explores attitudes towards discrimination across six key equality areas: disability, gender, race, religion or belief, age and sexual orientation.

The main findings are:

• The majority of Scots, 65 per cent, say Scotland should do everything it can to get rid of all kinds of prejudice. But 29 per cent say sometimes there is a good reason to be prejudiced
• The incidence of discriminatory attitudes varies from one group to another. They are most commonly expressed towards Gypsies/Travellers and transsexual people and are less commonly expressed towards women and people with disabilities
• Discriminatory attitudes towards Muslims have worsened since 2003. However, discriminatory attitudes towards gay men and lesbians appear to have declined in recent years
• Those who know someone who belongs to a particular group are less likely to express discriminatory attitudes towards people from that group

John Curtice, Research Consultant to the Scottish Centre for Social Research and one of the co-authors of the report said:

"This research provides a unique picture of how discriminatory attitudes are more likely to be expressed towards some groups than towards others, and more so in some circumstances than in others."

Speaking at the launch, Mr Maxwell said:

"This report sends out two messages. Firstly, that most people say Scotland should do everything it can to get rid of all kinds of prejudice. Secondly, that a significant proportion of people think sometimes there is a good reason to be prejudiced.

"While most people want to see a fairer more equal society, it is worrying a sizable minority still hold discriminatory views. We must address this if we are to ensure Scotland's future success as a welcoming, modern, forward-thinking nation.

"Changing attitudes is one of the biggest challenges any society can face, but to be a successful nation we must tackle views that undermine good relations, and fuel suspicion and hostility between communities.

"We know attitude change takes time, but we will continue to provide leadership and strive towards a Scotland free from prejudice and discrimination."

Scottish Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Morag Alexander, said:

"Scots pride themselves on tolerance and fair play - it is something that should unite us. Our diverse range of communities and cultures make our country a rich and vibrant place to live, work, study or visit and we all benefit from this.

"The launch of the report today enables us to take a step back and reflect on where we want to be as a country. If we want to build a confident, ambitious and fair nation then I believe that each and every one of us has a responsibility to ensure that we create a Scotland that is at ease with all aspects of its diversity."

The report 'Attitudes to Discrimination in Scotland: 2006' Scottish Social Attitudes Survey was produced by the Scottish Centre for Social Research. The authors are Catherine Bromley, John Curtice and Lisa Given.

The Scottish Social Attitudes (SSA) survey is conducted by the Scottish Centre for Social Reseach. It is designed to inform public policy and facilitate the study of public opinion in Scotland. The 2006 survey interviewed a representative sample of 1,594 adults across Scotland between August 2006 and January 2007.

The research has been funded by the Scottish Government and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (DTI).

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