Comparative Study of Germany and Austria: Xenophobia Changes from 2002 to 2014

Abstract

Xenophobia has existed everywhere throughout history. Due to several global changes such as refugee crises, an increase in terrorism, and the recent rise of populist parties in Europe and the US, immigration is becoming a more salient issue. Among European countries where a huge amount of migrants are moving back and forth, Austrian and German xenophobic attitudes both changed exceptionally, but in opposite ways in recent years. From 2002 to 2014, xenophobia in Austria grew, whereas xenophobia in Germany decreased significantly.

This thesis examines the possible reasons for this difference between Germany and Austria from three perspectives

political, economic and cultural. From a political perspective, the popularity of extreme right-wing parties increased in Austria whereas in Germany, right-wing parties could not enjoy the same level of support because of the political culture that shuns the use of nationalism as a political tool. From an economic perspective, the economic recession and the political framing of extreme right-wing parties which utilized it by blaming migrants increased xenophobia in Austria. Lastly, from a cultural perspective, strong national identity in Austria and relatively weaker national identity in Germany was an important factor in the changes of xenophobic attitudes. Despite its seemingly greater acceptance of migrants, Germany still prefers to assimilate migrants rather than to integrate them into the society.