Prejudice

Prejudice. An affective feeling towards a person based on their perceived group membership. The word is often used to refer to a preconceived (usually unfavorable) evaluation or classification of another person based on that person’s perceived personal characteristics.

These could include political affiliation, sex, gender, gender identity, beliefs, values, social class, age, disability, religion, sexuality, race, ethnicity, language, nationality, culture, complexion, beauty, height, body weight, occupation, wealth, education, criminality, sport-team affiliation, music tastes – or other perceived characteristics.

The United Nations Institute on Globalization, Culture and Mobility has highlighted research considering prejudice as a global security threat due to its use in scapegoating some populations and inciting others to commit violent acts towards them and how this can endanger individuals, countries, and the international community.