Seeing Discrimination Differently: Examining Situational and Group Differences in Attributions

    21 January 2026

    LISS 2025. Authors: Nella Geurts (Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen – Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen), Lex Thijssen (Vrije Universiteit – Faculteit der Sociale en Geesteswetenschappen),

    Ethno-racial discrimination remains a persistent challenge, yet public debates reveal sharp differences in what is considered to be discriminatory. When bystanders fail to recognize discrimination, it persists through inaction and limited support for structural remedies. This project studies how potential bystanders in the Netherlands interpret everyday incidents in streets, restaurants, and public transport—contexts that have received little scholarly attention. Using a survey-experimental design, we examine differences in discrimination attributions across situational and socio-demographic factors, while testing whether often-assumed mechanisms, like in-direct knowledge and socialization, explain these differences. The project advances understanding of who recognizes discrimination and why interpretations vary.

    Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash