Unveiling Naturalization

Abstract

Anti-Muslim attitudes are widespread in Western countries, especially among conservative individuals. Yet, the Muslim veil sparks controversy across the ideological spectrum, potentially resulting in unwillingness to naturalize Muslim immigrants. Living in culturally diverse contexts is likely to affect how ideologies relate to anti-veil attitudes. This study examined the interplay between individual- and community-level ideologies and minority proportion in explaining anti-veil attitudes. Multilevel analyses with Swiss World Values Survey data (N = 1,006; 125 municipalities) revealed that individual-level conservatism and conservative ideological climates increased anti-veil attitudes. Minority proportion in a municipality (i.e., proportion of ex-Yugoslavs and Turks representing the largest Muslim groups) shaped the impact of conservative ideologies on both levels: Stronger anti-veil attitudes were found in highly conservative communities when minority proportion was high rather than low, whereas low rather than high minority proportion strengthened anti-veil attitudes for nonconformist individuals and in progressive communities. This research highlights the need to simultaneously examine conservative ideologies and immigrant presence to understand host societies’ views of immigrants’ cultural practices.