Ethnic and Religious Discrimination in the Wedding Venue Business: Evidence from Two Field Experiments in Germany and Austria

Abstract

We add to the current debate on ethno-religious discrimination by studying to what extent discrimination in the wedding venue business is based on religious or ethnic grounds. Do the two reinforce each other? Does the explicit mentioning of a non-religious wedding help to reduce ethnic discrimination in a secularized society? We draw on two field experiments in Germany and Austria. We sent 805 valid emails to wedding venues. We randomly varied two traits, the names (Arabic-origin and native-origin) and whether the wedding was religious (Islamic or Free Church) or not. Using linear probability models and ordinary least squares regressions, we predicted the likelihood of receiving a confirmation, the response time from venues, the length, formality, and tone of the emails as well as the prevalence of mistakes in the emails. Our analyses showed that couples with Arabic-origin names, celebrating an Islamic wedding, received significantly fewer confirmations compared to couples with native-origin names. Celebrating a non-religious wedding of couples with Arabic-origin names reduced the disadvantage. The study suggests statistical discrimination based on religiosity that is inferred from Arabic-origin names.

Pro-social attitudes towards ethno-religious out-groups during the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey experiment in five countries

“…These findings resonate with studies on actual discrimination of Muslim minorities (e.g. Carol et al, 2023;Di Stasio et al, 2019;Koopmans et al, 2019) and a recent survey experiment on the perceived eligibility of medical treatment for foreigners during the pandemic (Haderup Larsen and Schaeffer, 2021). To conclude, how willing people are to help depends on the ethno-religious origin of a neighbour, the duration of stay, and the type of groceries that are ordered (Figure 2).…”

“…One example that could be studied with survey experiments in the future is the role of assimilation cues. Previous research on the discrimination of people with Arabic names revealed that they were not treated differently from people with native names if secularity was mentioned (Carol et al, 2023). Similarly, the consumption of beer could have been interpreted as signal of assimilation in those five countries, particularly for the neighbour with a Muslim name as the consumption of alcohol is less common among Muslim minorities (e.g.…”

Examining whether religion is a positive factor in access to self-employment for youths: evidences from Congolese data

“…The above arguments posit that religion positively affects access to self-employment; however, noteworthily, religion can also negatively affect individuals' participation in the labour market. Indeed, authors such as A ısa and Larramona (2021) and Carol et al (2021) argue that religion promotes discrimination in some cases wherein religious considerations are excessively strong. Similarly, Drakopoulou and Gotsis (2007) argue that in contexts wherein the weight of religion is significant, entrepreneurs tend to rely increasingly on religious criteria when making decisions.…”

“…The above arguments posit that religion positively affects access to self-employment; however, noteworthily, religion can also negatively affect individuals' participation in the labour market. Indeed, authors such as Aísa and Larramona (2021) and Carol et al. (2021) argue that religion promotes discrimination in some cases wherein religious considerations are excessively strong.…”