A research team at the University of Lausanne is studying the discrimination experienced by young adults in Lausanne, a city where 60-70% of the population is of immigrant origin. The aim is to gain a better understanding of these realities in order to identify, together with local institutions, best practices for combating discrimination.
As part of this project, two surveys were carried out: one among a sample of young adults aged 18 to 35 living in Lausanne, the other among students at the University of Lausanne (Unil).
The results of the first survey show the extent of discrimination experienced on a daily basis, particularly by young people with two foreign parents: 40% of them say they suffer discrimination in access to housing, health and education, and 32% in employment.
Respondents identify institutional or professional actors as the main source of discrimination: landlords in the housing sector, supervisors in the workplace, teachers and other students in education and medical staff in the health sector. These discriminations are based on various factors, such as social or geographical origin, gender, skin color, language or religion. They vary from one sector to another, and are often cumulative.
The survey highlights a worrying reality: discrimination is not isolated, but cuts across several sectors of society, particularly affecting people from migrant backgrounds, and especially those whose two parents were born abroad.
The second survey assessed experiences of discrimination among students at the University of Lausanne: although discrimination is less frequently perceived than that reported by 18-35 year-olds, which is consistent with the educational trajectories observed, it remains significant: 20% of respondents felt they had been discriminated against in access to housing, 20% in the health sector, 14% in access to employmentaccess to employment, 30% in their education - mainly in secondary 2 and secondary 1 - and 10% at the University of Lausanne. Interviews with students also reveal the systemic dimension of discrimination, with cross-sectoral effects.
At the same time, similar surveys were carried out in Barcelona. They are part of the EDILAB (Ethnic Discrimination and Inequality in Lausanne and Barcelona) comparative research project, carried out in these two cities with large immigrant populations.
Testing best practices with partners in the field
To generate scientific knowledge while promoting concrete action on the ground, the research team at the University of Lausanne is working in partnership with several local players, including the Lausanne Bureau for Immigrants (BLI). "We want to assess young people’s experiences of discrimination and their struggles against it, as well as identify good practices already in place in local institutions and organizations.we also wanted to identify the discrete mechanisms that lead to structural and systemic inequalities", explains Gaële Goastellec , project coordinator and full professor at the Institute of Social Sciences.
For these reasons, the surveys have given rise to a number of conferences, notably at the City of Lausanne, Sciences Po Paris, the University of Lausanne, the Conférence des Hautes Études Commerciales (CEEC) and the Institut des Sciences Sociales (ISSS). de Lausanne, the Conference of Integration Delegates and ECCAR (European Coalition of Cities Against Racism). The presentations focused more broadly on structural racism and discrimination in access to employment, housing, education and health, helping to disseminate and discuss the project’s findings. "Disseminating the main results obtained to partners in the field is an essential phase of our action research," explains Gaële Goastellec. "The aim is to co-design and test best practices with partner institutions.
Further analyses are underway, in collaboration with researchers from the HEP, the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the University of Bordeaux. Comparative publications are also planned for 2026.
