Attitudes and behavioural intentions towards ethnic minorities: An empirical test of several theoretical explanations for the Dutch case

In recent decades, attitudes towards ethnic minorities have become a significant topic for research. A great deal of debate among researchers has concentrated on the distinction between 'traditional' overt attitudes and 'contemporary' covert attitudes towards ethnic minorities. In this article it is argued that the distinction between overt and covert unfavourable attitudes is extremely important in revealing the nature, social location, determinants and consequences of contemporary unfavourable attitudes in Dutch society. This article shows among which categories of education and social class the different forms of unfavourable attitudes are strongly prevalent. It also shows how the differences in people's attitudes play a role in their intended behaviour towards ethnic minorities