Stigma consciousness among the unemployed and prejudices against them

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Monika Jungbauer-Gans
• Subject Area: Empirical Social Research
• Term: from 2014 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 260587596

Based on the awareness of the relevance of social exclusion the research project analyses the perception of stigmatization among unemployed and verbalization of prejudices against unemployed. The theoretical framework includes sociological and social psychological theories that provide definitions of stigma and stereotyping, of social mechanisms how stigma consciousness and prejudices emerge and which effects stigma consciousness may have in other life domains. The following questions will be analysed: How prevalent is stigma consciousness among unemployed? How does the life situation and employment biography influence stigma consciousness? Does the social network influence the development of stigma consciousness or has social capital a buffering effect? Is employment orientation or subjective health affected by stigma consciousness? The project has a mixed method design. First, the data from the panel study Labour and Social Security (PASS) will be analysed. In the 7th wave of this panel study newly developed scales to measure stigma consciousness and prejudices against unemployed have been included. Second, a qualitative subproject will analyse the effects of the social context on the development of stigma consciousness in more detail using qualitative interviews with persons afflicted and their relatives or friends. Which coping strategies were developed when stigmatisation is experienced?

• DFG Programme: Research Grants