Multiculturalism hypothesis among Russian speakers in in Norway and in Estonia: Similarities and differences

Multiculturalism hypothesis postulates that when individuals feel secure in their group’s and personal place in society (with respect to their cultural identity and their economic situation), they will be more accepting of those who differ from themselves, and this would lead to greater mutual acceptance. Conversely, if they feel culturally, economically or personally threatened, they will reject others who are different from themselves. This acceptance would entail lower levels of ethnocentrism and more positive views of multiculturalism. Berry and Ward (2016) have also reported that dominant group members who are more accepting of a multicultural ideology have higher levels of self-esteem and life satisfaction. In this presentation, we report on the extent to which this hypothesis holds in Estonia and in Norway, looking at both the nationals of the two countries and Russian speaking ethno cultural groups in these two countries. Participants were adult (i.e., 18 – 74 years) Russian-speakers living in Estonia and in Norway, together with ethnic Estonians and ethnic Norwegians. In all there were 753 Russian-speakers in the two countries, together with 500 ethnic Norwegians and 510 ethnic Estonians. Overall, support was found for the two hypotheses in both countries and among the different ethno-cultural groups. However, the strength of multiculturalism hypothesis predictors differed. These differences are disused in the light of the socio-cultural history of the Russians in the two countries.