A Minority of Citizens

This study aims to further social cohesion research in the Qatari context by identifying the determinants of attitudes towards immigrants in Qatar. As religion and traditional attitudes play an important role in forming Qatari identity, the focus is on identifying the effects of religious, social, and political attitudes on trust in immigrants. The results show that contact with immigrants is beneficial to trust among them as contact with immigrant friends improved trust in all groups as well as contact with neighbours and co-workers in non-Arabs. This study offers a comprehensive view of Qataris' attitudes towards immigrants and paves the way to a better understanding of how the influx of immigrants from diverse backgrounds affects society. It is hoped that this research provides both academics and policymakers with tools to better understand and deal with the effects of large scale changes to the social structure and demographic setup of Qatar.

Autorentext

Majed Al-Ansari is assistant professor of political sociology, President of the Qatar International Academy for Security Studies. He advises a number of governmental entities on issues relating to foreign affairs and national security and writes regularly on foreign policy and international affairs.