Banning burkas and niqabs? Exploring perceptions of bias in media coverage of Islam and Muslims in Switzerland and their relation to people’s voting intention concerning the burka-initiative

Abstract

In Switzerland, Islam and Muslims are repeatedly the subject of political debates and, thus, of media reporting. While content analyses show a certain bias in Western media coverage of Islam and Muslims, relatively little is known about the audience’s perspective on media bias in this context. Using data from an online survey of the Swiss population (n = 976), this study examines people’s perceptions of bias in the media coverage of Islam and Muslims in Switzerland and how it relates to their intention to vote on the popular initiative “Yes to a veil ban”. The study was conducted in March 2019, two years before the actual vote took place on 7 March 2021. The results show that the majority of the Swiss non-Muslim population perceives the reporting as distorted. In the study’s investigation of media bias perceptions, attitudes towards Islam and Muslims, political orientation and personal contact with Muslims proved to be the most relevant influencing factors. By contrast, exposure to political information via traditional news media and social media was not associated with bias perceptions. Finally, a stronger perception that the media understate certain problems related to Islam and Muslims in Switzerland was positively related to people’s intention to vote for a national ban on wearing burkas or niqabs in public.

Minority and Majority Adolescents’ Attitudes toward Mutual Acculturation and its Association with Psychological Adjustment

“…Yet, there were also slight cross-national differences: Across all three profiles, it is only the majority students in Greece and Switzerland and the migration background students in Germany who agree with the first dimension concerning heritage culture maintenance no matter which pattern they fit. This finding is particularly interesting in the Swiss context, as Switzerland’s adult majority has voted to ban burqas and minarets in the last decade (Arlt, 2021 ; Dodd, 2015 ). In Germany, the agreement of all students with a migration background with the first dimension on heritage culture maintenance probably reflects their experience on heritage culture maintenance.…”

“liberty can be for you, one thing, and for me, something different”: Muslim women's experiences of identity and belonging in Switzerland

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Muslim Social Activity and Placemaking in Australia

“…For example, there has been ongoing controversy surrounding Islamic attire, particularly the burqa (long gown worn by women), and whether this is an acceptable form of expression in public. There is much debate over whether the burqa is incompatible with Western values or an important way to maintain religious identity (Arlt 2021). Those in favour of religious expression argue that clothing can challenge the negative ideas held about Islam and make public spaces more accessible to Muslim women.…”