Hate Crime Victimization Among Youth in Iceland: The Role of Immigrant Background and Classroom Diversity

This study investigates violent hate crime victimization among adolescents in Iceland, focusing on the role of immigrant background and classroom diversity. Drawing on data from the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD4), I analyzed responses from more than 3,000 randomly selected stude...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Valdimarsdóttir, Margrét (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2025
In: Journal of contemporary criminal justice
Year: 2025, Volume: 41, Issue: 4, Pages: 787-800
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Keywords:
Iceland
prejudice-based violence
immigrant youth
hate crime victimization
Description
Summary:This study investigates violent hate crime victimization among adolescents in Iceland, focusing on the role of immigrant background and classroom diversity. Drawing on data from the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD4), I analyzed responses from more than 3,000 randomly selected students aged 13 to 17 in the capital area using multilevel logistic regression. I examined (a) whether immigrant youth are at greater risk of experiencing hate crime victimization than native peers and (b) whether classroom composition moderates this relationship. Hate crime victimization is measured as exposure to threats or physical violence based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or similar characteristics. Results show that first- and second-generation immigrant youth report significantly higher rates of hate crime victimization than their native peers, with the risk especially elevated for first-generation youth. While classroom diversity has no overall effect, cross-level interactions reveal that more diverse classrooms reduce victimization among first-generation immigrants but increase it among second-generation youth. These findings offer nuanced support for both minority threat theory and intergroup contact theory. The study contributes to the limited quantitative literature on hate crime in Iceland and underscores the importance of considering classroom context when examining the social mechanisms shaping adolescent victimization.
ISSN:1552-5406
DOI:10.1177/10439862251385374