Abstract
Cyprus, as a crossroads of three continents, attracts a large number of immigrants every year. Greek-Cypriots create attitudes towards immigrants entering their country. According to Georgas (1986), attitudes are a consequence of stereotypes and reveal perceptions of social phenomena on the part of the individual. The purpose of this research is to outline and compare the attitudes and relationships of natives and foreigners by the age category on the island during the last twenty years. Furthermore, the purpose of the research is to identify the contribution of intercultural education in the formation of attitudes and relationships. The research in terms of its methodology is quantitative. The sample of the quantitative research consisted of 664 adult Greek Cypriots and 321 adult immigrants who come from various socio-economic backgrounds and live in the provinces of free Cyprus.
The researcher has chosen to outline the attitudes and the relations of natives and foreigners on the island during the last twenty years because during the accession of Cyprus to the European Union in 2004, a new flow of immigrants began, mainly from Central and Eastern countries which led to a change in the immigrant image of Cyprus.
The research tools of the quantitative research were the questionnaires “STA.SCHEI” and “ME.STA”, which explore the perceptions of Greek Cypriots towards foreigners and vice versa, as well as their opinion on the contribution of intercultural education in shaping of their attitudes and relationships. The collection of quantitative data started in June 2020 and was completed in October 2020. The researcher intends to conduct qualitative research through the use of semi-structured interviews that will contribute to in-depth analysis and interpretation of participants perceptions.
