Study Reveals Persistent Stereotypes Hinder Migrant Integration in Moroccan Cities

According to the results of the study "Perception of migration in the cities of Oujda, Fnideq and Al Hoceima", conducted online with 2,737 young people aged 18 to 26 in three cities, the integration of migrants remains difficult within Moroccan society, reports SRNTnews.

This sociological survey led by the Federation of Local Authorities of Northern Morocco and Andalusia (ANMAR) and the Andalusian Fund of Municipalities for International Solidarity (FAMSI), focused on the perception of foreign migration in social and cultural terms. It addressed the issues related to the relationships and connections that develop on a daily basis between the local populations and the migrants.

The study shows that the perception of young people on migrants oscillates between a lack of knowledge and a persistence of stereotypes, the site reports, according to which these ambivalent perceptions can be explained by two factors. The first factor is the migratory profile of each of the cities. The second explanatory factor is to be found in the quality of the information in circulation around migrations in these spaces.

According to these young people, migrants would not have a sufficient level of education. This opinion is shared by the vast majority of young people who participated in the survey. 98.4% of the young people surveyed in Al Hoceima felt that migrants would be unsociable. This opinion is shared by 88.8% of the young people surveyed in Oujda and 73.1% of those surveyed in Fnideq. Also, language is the first obstacle preventing migrants from interacting with their neighbors and integrating. The two other factors of the "unsociability" of migrants are religion and poverty.

Regarding marriage to a migrant man or woman, the majority of young people (94.9% in Al Hoceima, 66.8% in Oujda and 29.4% in Fnideq) said they would not consider marrying a migrant, citing the same reasons (difference in religions, languages and cultures), in addition to the refusal of families and the social and financial status of the migrant person.

Based on the results of this study, the initiators recommend awareness-raising on migration issues and the deconstruction of clichés and stereotypes about migration. This initiative makes it possible to fight against the spread of fake news and rumors about migration, especially in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.