2010 Publications

European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey (EU-MIDIS) - survey results (all publications)

01/02/2011 - April / May / December 2009 - May / October 2010EU-MIDIS - European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey (compilation of all covers)

EU-MIDIS is the first ever EU-wide survey of immigrant and ethnic minority groups' experiences of discrimination and victimisation in everyday life. Addressing the lack of reliable and comparable data on minorities in many EU countries, the survey examines experiences of discriminatory treatment, racist crime victimisation, awareness of rights, and reporting of complaints. EU-MIDIS involved face-to-face interviews with 23,500 persons from selected immigrant and ethnic minority groups in all 27 Member States of the European Union. 5,000 persons from the majority population were also interviewed to compare the results.

The results of this major survey were released throughout 2009 and 2010 in a series of "Data in Focus Reports" on specific minority groups as well on key issues examined in the survey. The full results of the survey were presented at the FRA Fundamental Rights Conference on 11-12 December 2009 in Stockholm, held under the auspices of the Swedish Presidency of the EU.

See more in the EU-MIDIS mini-site.



Overview of all FRA reports on the results of EU-MIDIS:

EU-MIDIS Data in Focus 5: Multiple discrimination (02/02/2011)

This report focuses on perceptions of multiple discrimination experiences by respondents of ethnic or immigrant origin, compared with the general population.

The findings show that people belonging to ‘visible' minorities, such as Roma and people of African origin, are more likely to suffer multiple discrimination - that is, being discriminated on more than one ground- than other minorities. Another relevant ground for discrimination that could increase the experience of multiple discrimination are socio-economic factors such as living with a low income.

Note: Printed version available in English (EN).

EU-MIDIS Data in Focus 5 - Multiple discrimination

Data in Focus 5 - Multiple discrimination 

EU-MIDIS Data in Focus 4: Police stops and minorities (11/10/2010)

This report focuses on experiences of police stops of the 23,500 individuals with an ethnic minority or immigrant background interviewed as part of the survey.

It shows that minority groups who perceive they were stopped by the police on the basis of their ethnic or immigrant background have a lower level of trust in the police than minorities who were stopped and considered it to be unrelated to their minority background. Every second minority victim of assault, threat or serious harassment said they did not report these incidents to the police because they were not confident the police would do anything about them.

Note: Printed version available in English (EN), Bulgarian (BG), Czech (CS), Danish (DA), German (DE), Estonian (ET), Greek (EL), Spanish (EL), French (FR), Italian (IT), Latvian (LV), Lithuanian (LT), Hungarian (HU), Dutch (NL), Polish (PL), Portuguese (PT), Romanian (RO), Slovak (SK), Slovene (SV), Finnish (FI) and Swedish (SV).

EU-MIDIS Data in Focus 4 - Ethnic profiling

Data in Focus 4 - Police stops and minorities

Data in Focus Report 3: Rights Awareness (07/05/2010)


This report focuses on respondents’ knowledge about their rights in the field of non-discrimination, including knowledge about Equality Bodies in Member States.

Results show that the majority of respondents are unaware of anti-discrimination legislation. The Racial Equality Directive (2000/43/EC) is the key piece of EU legislation combating discrimination ‘on grounds of race or ethnic origin' and it has been transposed into the national law of all Member States, although shortcomings in the transposition have been noted in some countries.The Directive stipulates that potential victim groups should be made aware of the relevant transposing (national) legislation.

Note: Printed version available in English (EN).

Data In Focus 3: Rights awareness (07/05/2010)

Data in Focus 3: Rights awareness

Main Results Report (09/12/2009)

The results of the survey reveal evidence about the discrimination faced by minorities in everyday life; in the classroom, when looking for work, at the doctor’s, or in shops.

Overall experiences of criminal victimisation across five crime types, specifically property crime (theft of or from a vehicle, burglary and theft of other personal property) and in-person crime such as experiences of assault or threat, and serious harassment, were also observed in the survey, including whether any of these crimes were committed with a racist motive.

Note: Printed version available in English (EN), French (FR) and German (DE).

Main Results Report

Main Results Report

Data in Focus Report 2: Muslims (28/05/2009)

This report focuses on respondents who identified themselves as Muslims, and is the second in a series of EU-MIDIS ‘Data in Focus' reports exploring different results from the survey. Given the shortage of extensive, objective and comparable data on Muslims in the European Union, EU-MIDIS provides, for the first time, comparable data on how Muslims across the EU experience discrimination and victimisation.

Results highlight that on average 1 in 3 Muslim respondents were discriminated against in the past 12 months, and 11% experienced a racist crime. The highest levels of discrimination occurred in employment. Moreover, an overwhealming majority do not report their experiences of racism which means that thousands of cases of discrimination and racist crime remain invisible, and are therefore not recorded in official complaints and criminal justice data collection mechanisms. 

Note: Printed version available in English (EN).

Data in Focus Report 2: Muslims

Data in Focus 2: Muslims

Data in Focus Report 1: The Roma (22/04/2009)

This report is the first EU-MIDIS ‘Data in Focus' report examining discrimination and victimisation experienced by the Roma. Of all the groups surveyed by the FRA, the Roma emerged as the group most vulnerable to discrimination and crime. The FRA has therefore analysed their situation in a ‘data in focus' report, the first in a series of reports on minority groups and issues covered by the survey.

The report on the Roma reveals a bleak picture for the estimated 12 million Roma in the EU. Roma reported the highest overall levels of discrimination across all areas surveyed. 66-92% of Roma (depending on the country) did not report their most recent experience of discrimination to any competent authority. 65-100% of the Roma respondents reported lack of confidence in law enforcement and justice structures.

Note: Printed version available in English (EN), Bulgarian (BG), Czech (CS), Greek (EL), Spanish (EL), French (FR), Hungarian (HU), Polish (PL), Romanian (RO) and Slovak (SK).

Data in Focus Report 1: the Roma

Data in Focus 1: The Roma

 

EU-MIDIS at a glance (22/04/2009)

Racist crime, harassment and discrimination grossly under-reported
The survey reveals that discrimination, harassment and racially motivated violence are far more widespread than recorded in official statistics. Most of the minority groups surveyed in EU-MIDIS considered that discrimination on the basis of ethnic or immigrant origin was widespread in the Member State where they were interviewed. More than a third of the respondents stated that they had been personally discriminated against in the past 12 months. 12% experienced a crime that they felt was racially motivated, with 4% experiencing a racially motivated physical assault or threat of physical violence.

Resignation among minorities
The results suggest a sense of resignation among ethnic minorities and immigrants who lack confidence in the mechanisms designed to protect victims of discrimination or racist crime. The main reason given for not reporting incidents was that respondents felt that nothing would happen following their complaint.

Lack of rights awareness
The survey presents worrying evidence of the extent to which groups who are most vulnerable to discrimination in the EU are uninformed about where to turn to for assistance, if they have been discriminated against. 80% of the respondents did not know of any organisation that could offer support or advice to victims of discrimination. This demonstrates an urgent need for better information, but could also reflect a real absence of effective support services in many Member States.

Note: Printed version available in English (EN).

EU-MIDIS at a glance
An introduction to the European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey