Experiences of discrimination and diversity-related attitudes in Saxony

The project “Experiences of Discrimination and Diversity-Related Attitudes in Saxony” conducted the first comprehensive survey of various forms of discrimination in the Free State of Saxony. The focus was on examining the types of discrimination people in Saxony have experienced and how widespread these experiences were. The project analyzed discrimination across numerous characteristics, including gender, religious affiliation, physical appearance, age, disability, sexual orientation, race, origin, and socioeconomic status. In doing so, it addressed a significant research gap.
Commissioned by the Saxon State Ministry of Justice and for Democracy, Europe, and Equality (SMJusDEG) and involving civil society organizations working in anti-discrimination, the project also investigated how affected individuals responded to discrimination, what consequences these experiences had, and how people in Saxony assessed opportunities to reduce discrimination. Given that the survey was conducted in spring 2021, the study also examined how the Covid-19 pandemic and associated measures affected experiences of discrimination.
Moreover, relevant areas of life were systematically recorded, and special analyses were carried out for various forms of discrimination, including social devaluation, material disadvantages, social devaluation and material disadvantages in institutional contexts, experiences of violence, and discursive dimensions of discrimination.
Methodologically, the project was based on three quantitative surveys—a Saxon population survey, a comparative survey in the rest of Germany, and a targeted survey of affected individuals in Saxony—which together provided a detailed picture of the discrimination situation in Saxony.

The project addressed for the first time the question of how people in Saxony experience and perceive discrimination. While these topics had already been studied at the federal level in previous years, specific insights and reliable data on the discrimination experiences of people in Saxony were lacking.

This study aimed to draw a differentiated image of the experiences of discrimination in Saxony

The study was based on three quantitative surveys conducted between March and September 2021:

• The Saxon population survey provided well-founded insights into individual experiences of discrimination and attitudes within the Free State of Saxony.
• The comparative population survey in the rest of Germany allowed the results of the Saxony survey to be contextualized.
• The additional survey of affected individuals in Saxony focused on the discrimination experiences and coping strategies of smaller social groups—such as trans or non-heterosexual individuals.

The participants in the population surveys reflected the proportions of the overall population for key characteristics such as gender and age. In contrast, the survey of affected individuals specifically targeted people with experiences of discrimination. As a result, the proportions of certain groups were higher than in the population surveys, enabling more in-depth analyses for some groups.

Key Findings:

• 55% of respondents in Saxony reported having experienced discrimination.
• A comparison between the Saxon population survey and the population survey in the rest of Germany shows that experiences of discrimination in Saxony often do not differ, or differ only slightly, from nationwide experiences.
• Respondents reported experiencing discrimination most frequently in the education system, in the workplace, and through media or politics.
• Respondents experience discrimination both along characteristics protected by the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) and along additional characteristics that are not legally protected. Among respondents in Saxony who had experienced discrimination, for example, 39% experienced it based on age, 31% based on disability, and 18% based on gender, but also 46% based on physical appearance, 34% based on socioeconomic status, and 42% based on their gestures or facial expressions.
• Not all people are affected by discrimination to the same extent. Higher risks of discrimination are observed among homosexual individuals; trans*, non-binary*, genderqueer or genderfluid individuals as well as those rejecting gender classification; individuals with one or more disabilities; and racialized individuals.
• Among the forms of discrimination examined, respondents in Saxony most frequently experienced social devaluation—this includes being stared at (29%), having ones intelligence or abilities questioned (29%), or having ones own achievements devalued (28%).
• Respondents most commonly use individualized coping strategies (e.g., conversations with close contacts) to process their experiences of discrimination. Institutionalized options (e.g., official complaints) are used less frequently.
• More than two-thirds (69%) of participants in the affected-individual survey reported feeling sad or stressed more often as a result of experiencing discrimination. 60% indicated having become more anxious and more attentive to their environment. Nearly half of respondents (45%) reported developing depression or other stress-related disorders due to discrimination, and 27% reported physical complaints.
• Many respondents see a need for action regarding ways to reduce discrimination: 60% consider current legal protection against discrimination to be insufficient, and three-quarters consider its implementation inadequate.

Recommendations were made for three key areas of state action at the state level to strengthen protection against experiences of discrimination in Saxony:

Implementation of Diversity Mainstreaming as an overall strategy. These measures can both reduce the risk of discrimination within public administration and serve as a positive example for the private sector:

• Consistent implementation of positive measures within Saxony’s state and municipal administrations as employers, and
• Establishment of independent complaint offices for cases of discrimination in interactions with public authorities.

Greater support for individuals affected by discrimination outside private settings. To date, most affected individuals have primarily dealt with their experiences through private conversations within their personal networks. To create and promote alternatives:

• Advisory and support networks should be expanded across all ten districts within Saxony, and
• Community self-organizations for people who have experienced discrimination should be strengthened.

Expansion of legal protection against discrimination to align more closely with respondents’ broad understanding of discrimination from both a legal and educational perspective. At the state level, this could include:

• Introducing a state anti-discrimination law (Landesantidiskriminierungsgesetz - LADG) for the Free State of Saxony, and
• Adding an explicit prohibition of discrimination in the school law.