The report presents results of the study of relationship of Tomsk residents towards migrants carried out along the three research lines:
1) Do residents of Tomsk consider the presence of migrants in the city as pressing issue?
The results producedshow that Tomsk residents believe there are many migrants present in the city and the reasons for hiring them are cheap labor services they offer as well as possibility of illegal employment and lower demands in terms of labor conditions. The residents do not see migrants as their competitors in the labor market.
2) What does the cognitive component of that relationship include?
Tomsk residents formed an image of migrants as being of Uzbek, Tajik, Azerbaijani or Kirgiz ethnicity and coming to the city because of low wages in their homeland or the lack of work as such and working mainly in construction and renovation of buildings, road works, and retail sale.
3) What does the behavioral component of that relationship include?
Tomsk residents demonstrate tolerance towards migrants meaning tolerate relations to “the other” only if there is a certain social distance present (migrants may be friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens).