A study by Pompeu Fabra University reveals significant ethnic discrimination in Spain’s top online marketplace, where individuals with Arab and Chinese names must offer higher prices to receive the same treatment as those with Spanish names.
Researchers from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) in Barcelona have uncovered significant ethnic discrimination in Spain’s leading online second-hand marketplace. The study indicates that buyers with Arabic and Chinese names must offer up to 3% more to be treated equally to those with Spanish names.
Conducted by Jorge Rodríguez Menés, Clara Cortina and Maria José González from UPF’s Sociodemography Research Group (DemoSoc) in the Department of Political and Social Sciences, the research highlights the subtle yet pervasive nature of ethnic discrimination in everyday transactions.
“Our research shows how subtle discriminations in daily transactions reflect broader social problems and offers concrete ideas to reduce these inequalities,” the authors asserted.
The study, published in the journal Social Indicators Research, involved two field experiments.
The first experiment examined how purchase offers were received by sellers when using Spanish, Arabic, Chinese or Latin American names.
The second involved selling similar products under the same ethnic identifiers.
The results indicate a clear bias against buyers with Arabic and Chinese names, who were less likely to receive positive responses unless they increased their offer by 3%.
While Latin American names also faced discrimination, it was less pronounced and not statistically significant.
Interestingly, as sellers, minorities did not experience significant discrimination.
The findings suggest that the root cause is not merely moral prejudice but a more nuanced form of mistrust known as “second-moment statistical discrimination.” This form of discrimination arises when sellers perceive minority buyers as less predictable, leading to a cautious reluctance to engage.
These patterns show that discrimination doesn’t always stem from overt prejudices or racist beliefs. Instead, it often emerges from a distrust of the unfamiliar or those seen as “less typical.”
The study proposes solutions beyond simply hiding names or profile photos, which may not be sufficient in reducing these hidden barriers. Effective strategies include more detailed user profiles, verified rating systems and secure payment methods to build trust and familiarity in online transactions.
Source: Pompeu Fabra University