Beliefs About Safety and Religious and Cultural Diversity

Following terrorist threats and events, some research has focused on the behavior, religious beliefs, and clothing of non-Western cultural groups and their intersection with Western cultures. Social workers, law enforcement, and other human service workers may be affected by their perceptions in their interactions with members of these groups. This exploratory study investigated beliefs about safety and religious and cultural diversity in light of age and gender (N = 324). Respondents completed 30 items following 1 of 4 vignettes in which a younger or older male or female character in non-Western attire was boarding an airplane. When controlling for respondents' travel frequency, knowing someone who has been or is in military service and knowing someone affected or personally being affected by national or international acts of terrorism, a general linear model was significant (F = 116.617, df = 30, p <.001). Differences centered on perceptions of safety, racial profiling, and attributing behaviors of people attired in non-Western clothing to the culture and religion of the vignette character. Female characters were perceived to be less dangerous than male characters. These perceptions may impact service delivery and professionals' willingness to interact with some religious/cultural groups. This area requires continued research.