Annotation

This article examines the perceptions of migrants by the population of Bashkortostan (RB). Among the connotations that shape the image of a migrant are the dominant perceptions common among the local population, which can be reduced to the triad “stranger/other/lawbreaker”. These correlations reflect the (inter)relations between the local population and migrant workers. The purpose of this study is to analyze indicators of the republic's residents' attitudes toward migrants, reflected in their figurative nominations, as well as the factors influencing them. The study is based on materials from an analytical report on the results of a sociological study on the state of interethnic and interfaith relations in the Republic of Bashkortostan in 2024, which presents the dynamics of the host population's perception of migrants, as well as 160 comments from readers of online publications about migrants in the republic in 2025. The authors note that the issue of migrants has become increasingly relevant over the past few years, largely negatively impacting their perception. The predominant image among the population of the Republic of Bashkortostan remains that of a guest worker, with a tendency to transform into an image of “foreign and dangerous”, indicating latent xenophobic sentiments and wariness toward representatives of migrant minorities.