Discrimination on ethnic grounds (61%) is considered the most widespread form of discrimination in the EU, followed by discrimination based on age (58%) and disability (53%). While perceptions of ethnic discrimination remain stable, there has been a significant increase in the number of people who consider the most widespread to be discrimination based on age (+16% points since 2008) and disability (+8% points since 2008). According to the survey, the rise in perception of age discrimination is clearly linked with the economic downturn. The survey also indicates that nearly two thirds of the EU population (64%) expects the current economic situation to lead to more age-based discrimination in the job market. In addition to age discrimination, a majority of Europeans also expects the crisis to lead to higher levels of discrimination on the grounds of disability (56%) and ethnic origin (57%) on the job market. There is also an expectation that the crisis is likely to have a generally negative effect on action to tackle discrimination in terms of political and financial priority given by governments. The poll also indicates that one in six (16%) people in Europe claim to have personally experienced discrimination in the past year. In terms of reporting cases of discrimination, most Europeans would first contact the police (55%), while 35% would get in touch with the national equality body and on average 27% would turn to the trade union. The Commission points out that the trust in the organisations that tackle discrimination varies enormously from one country to another. The Eurobarometer survey furthermore looked at factors influencing people's attitudes to discrimination and concluded that a diverse social network, being highly educated and belonging to a minority all greatly raise awareness about discrimination issues.
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