Ethnic Exclusionism and General Siege Mentality as Predictors of Anti–Semitism

This research aims to determine 1) whether ethnic exclusivity and general siege mentality, as aspects of threat perception, can significantly predict anti–Semitism; 2) whether national exclusivity, siege mentality, and anti–Semitism are correlated in a way that forms a higher–order latent structure of general ethnic–national threat perception, and 3) whether respondents of different sexes, ages, and educational backgrounds vary in their internalization of this general ethnic–national threat. The study involved a convenience sample of 558 adult Croatian citizens from Eastern Slavonia and Baranja and was conducted as part of the research activities of the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies (now known as the Institute for Migration Research). The results from the multiple regression analysis indicated that national exclusivity and siege mentality are significant predictors of anti–Semitism, accounting for about 25 percent of the variance in anti–Semitic attitudes. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a one–factor solution which explained 64 percent of the variance and was labeled as general ethnic–national threat perception. Such perception of ethnic and national threats significantly contributes to the development of anti–Semitism. While general ethnic–national threat perception is more prevalent among male respondents, older individuals, and those with lower levels of education, socio–demographic characteristics have a minimal impact on the internalization of this latent dimension, which comprises national exclusivity, siege mentality, and anti–Semitism.