Exploring the Relationship between Acculturation and Perceived Discrimination: The Case of Finland`S Russian-Speaking Minority

Attitudes of the majority population can have a noteworthy influence on the lives of minorities, and perceived discrimination is one of the central factors affecting the acculturation process of migrants and other ethnocultural groups.

This paper examines the role of perceived discrimination in the acculturation process of Finland`s largest immigrant group, Russian-speaking migrants. Prior research has shown that Russian(-speaker)s place low in the Finnish migrant hierarchies and are among the most common victims of racist crimes in Finland.

In her study on Russian-speaking adolescents, Jasinskaja-Lahti (2000, p. 50) found that those preferring separation or marginalisation scored higher for perceived discrimination that those preferring integration and assimilation, although a causal direction was not established. This highlights the importance of controlling for perceived discrimination when studying acculturation.

Moreover, the recent deterioration of relations between Russia and `the West` has lead to some sensationalist and stigmatizing media representations of Russian-speakers. This is particularly noteworthy as research has found that psychological well-being of migrants may depend less on the actual level of discrimination than on the increase in discrimination over time.

Making use of original data collected between April 2017 and April 2018 by the means of a quantitative survey, in-depth interviews and participant observation, this paper explores how perceived discrimination affects the acculturation attitudes and psychological well-being of Russian-speaking migrants living in Finland.