World

Europe's Multicultural Mood

March 20, 2001 / 3:39 PM EST / CBS/AP

Despite a rise of the extreme right in some European Union nations, the number of EU citizens who see minorities and immigrant groups as a cultural enrichment is rising, a monitoring group said Tuesday.

"In some ways, the attitudes toward minority and migrant groups have changed for the better," said Beate Winkler, director of the European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia, an EU agency.

"Most Europeans are optimistic about multiculturalism," said a report released by the Vienna, Austria-based center.

People who view immigrants as enriching to cultural life had increased from 33 percent to 48 percent in 1997, the report added.

In 13 of the 15 EU nations, the "actively tolerant" people outnumber the "intolerant," with Greece and Belgium the exceptions, it said.

However, more people are blaming minorities for their worries about job losses and a decrease in social welfare, the report said.

The survey, which compared answers to the 2000 questionnaires to those from three years ago, showed the percentage of people polled who "tended to agree" that minority groups abused social welfare systems had risen to 52 percent from 48.

Haider's Big Mouth

With his party's popularity fading and Vienna's elections just days away, Austria's most controversial right-wing politician is again accused of whipping up anti-Semitic and xenophobic sentiments.

And the number who "tended to agree" that children from minority groups threatened educational quality in schools rose to 52 percent from 46. Those believing minorities might get preferential treatment from authorities rose to 33 percent from 27.

The Center said attitudes toward minorities were clearly linked to level of education, age, and place of residence. The young, well-educated and those living in multiethnic communities were generally more welcoming than others.

The survey was based on interview with 16,078 people across the EU.