Perception of sub-Saharan immigrants in Malta : an integrated threat analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the threat perceptions of Maltese nationals towards sub-Saharan immigrants. A quantitative approach was chosen, were an online questionnaire was distributed on social media platforms. The aim of the study was to compare the differences on the perceptions of threat towards sub-Saharan immigrants of two age groups; 20 – 30-year olds and 50 – 60-year olds. Descriptive statistics show the results for the sociodemographics of the participants, the level of interaction and general perceptions for each type of threat and further analysis using the Chi-square test were carried out to analyse the relationship between each of the four threats and age. Results indicated that participants perceive sub-Saharan immigrants with symbolic threats while having neutral perceptions on the other threat.