Descendants of immigrants say they are discriminated against as much in France as their parents

The social situation of descendants of immigrants is better than that of their parents. This is true whatever their origins: their standard of living is more favorable, as are their housing conditions. On the other hand, descendants of immigrants report as much as immigrants having been discriminated against. This is what emerges from a survey by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee), published Thursday November 21 and entitled “France, social portrait. Edition 2024”. According to this data, from a survey of around 27,000 people aged 18 to 59, conducted with the National Institute of Demographic Studies, a quarter of immigrants and descendants of immigrants “declare having experienced unequal treatment or discrimination “often” or “sometimes” over the past five years”.

France has 7.2 million immigrants – 51% of whom are women and a third have acquired French nationality – or 10.6% of the population. The country also has eight million descendants of immigrants (56% of whom have only one immigrant parent). Immigrants or descendants, more than 45% of them are from the African continent.

If we look at the geographic origins of the people reporting, the experience of discrimination varies significantly. The descendants of immigrants of European origin are “less likely to report experiences of discrimination (13%) than immigrants of the same origins (19%)”. On the other hand, underlines INSEE, there is a “paradox of integration” for individuals with non-European descent: “While they were born in France and mostly completed their schooling there, they report having suffered discrimination more often than immigrants of the same origin. » This is the case for 34% of children of immigrants of Asian and African origin, compared to 26% of first-generation immigrants of the same origin.

Quicker to detect unequal treatment

How can we explain this gap between generations? For INSEE, it finds its source in part in the fact that the descendants of immigrants have younger and more educated profiles and are therefore quicker to detect and report this unequal treatment.

Generally speaking, the geographical origin is the “first factor of discrimination”underlines the study. Thus, an immigrant or descendant of an immigrant from Africa (excluding the Maghreb) is almost three times more likely to have been a victim of discrimination in the last five years than an immigrant or descendant of an immigrant from Europe. South.

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