Can Iceland learn from Luxembourg? Understanding the host country perspective in an increasingly plural composed society

Luxembourg and Iceland are very different In terms of geography, but both countries have experienced dramatic changes in terms of their population structure in recent years. With 41 immigrants per 1000 inhabitants, Luxembourg had the second highest number of immigrants per inhabitants in Europe in 2017 with Iceland, at 35.5, coming a close second. Since the 60s, Luxembourg’s population nearly doubled and today the foreign population percentage stands at 47.5%. Until the turn of the century, Iceland’s foreign population stood at around 2%, rising steadily over the last 20 years and today stands at 14.4% - having doubled in the last 10 years.
Migration studies often focus on the immigrant perspective, but especially when numbers rise, the host country perspective is important. In Luxembourg, we conducted several studies into the attitude towards multiculturalism among the host society. The Inclusive Societies – Iceland project investigated both, the experience of immigrants to Iceland but also the attitude of the native population towards immigrants. Findings from this quantitative study covering 3630 native Icelanders (51.1% women, MAge = 50.8, SD = 15.6), spread across all regions of Iceland will be presented and parallels drawn with findings from Luxembourg. Particular focus will be placed on demographic variables, language, culture contact and citizenship influencing the attitude towards a diverse society. Understanding the attitudes towards immigrants and diversity ideologies held by the native population is important, as these will determine acculturation options open to immigrants. Implications will be discussed in light of empirical findings in Luxembourg and Iceland.