22
April
2009

EU-MIDIS at a glance - Introduction to the FRA's EU-wide discrimination survey

The report gives an overview of the EU-MIDIS survey, explaining why the survey was carried out and how it was carried out. It also presents some examples of the findings of the survey.

EU-MIDIS aims to provide evidence-based information that can help policy-makers and other key stakeholders address discriminatory, racist practices, and improve support structures for victims of discrimination and racially motivated crime.

EU-MIDIS stands for the 'European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey". It is the first survey of its kind to systematically interview minorities in all EU Member States about their experiences of discriminatory treatment, awareness of rights and where to complain about discrimination, being a victim of racially motivated crime, and experiences of law enforcement and border control.

Using the same standardised questionnaire in all countries, EU-MIDIS allows for comparisons of results between the different groups surveyed. 23,500 immigrant and ethnic minority people were surveyed face-to-face in all 27 EU Member States during 2008. 5,000 people from the majority population living in the same areas as minorities were interviewed in ten Member States to allow for comparison of results concerning some key questions.