Research on ethnic victimization to date has done little to identify the reasons why adolescents victimize their peers due to their ethnic background. To address this limitation, we examined: (1) the extent to which prejudiced attitudes within adolescents’ close and larger social networks determine their engagement in ethnic harassment, and (2) the extent to which classroom ethnic diversity plays a role in any such link. Our sample included 902 Swedish adolescents (Mage = 14.40, SD = .95; 50.3% girls). We found that Swedish adolescents who held negative attitudes toward immigrants or who were surrounded by prejudiced peers were more likely to be involved in ethnic harassment, particularly in classrooms with high ethnic diversity. Adolescents in classrooms with a high anti-immigrant climate were more likely to harass their immigrant peers. These findings suggest that prejudiced beliefs in youth social networks put young people at risk of engaging in ethnic harassment, particularly in ethnically diverse classrooms.

The present study reports on the relations between multicultural personality and ethnic tolerance via associations with cross-group friendship in a sample of Portuguese university students (n = 270). It was found that the multicultural personality dimensions, particularly cultural empathy, open-mindedness, social initiative, and flexibility, were significantly correlated with ethnic tolerance. At the same time, a mediation model demonstrated that the relationship between open-mindedness and ethnic tolerance was partially mediated by cross-group friendship. In addition, emotional stability was found to be indirectly related to ethnic tolerance via its association with cross-group friendship. These findings highlight the importance of considering individual and contact variables in promoting tolerance toward representatives of diverse ethnic and cultural groups.

This study examined the relationship between levels of multicultural personality, the quantity and quality of intergroup contact, and positive attitudes (allophilia) toward Asian Americans among college students enrolled at a Midwestern university in the United States. Asian Americans represent the fastest growing racial/ethnic cohort in the United States, yet they continue to face oppression and racism. Although extensive research has examined the impact of intergroup contact and individual difference variables on negative attitudes toward minority groups, much less research has examined factors impacting positive outgroup (or allophilic) attitudes. Furthermore, recent research has documented that narrow personality traits (e.g., multicultural personality) are superior to broad traits (e.g., Big Five) in predicting attitudes and behavior in multicultural contexts. The authors hypothesized that the quantity and quality of contact with Asian Americans would mediate the direct relationship between multicultural personality and allophilic attitudes toward Asian Americans. A sample of 876 undergraduate students (Mage = 19.5 years, 69.4% female, 79% White) were recruited for structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses. Results largely supported the hypotheses, suggesting that quality and quantity of intergroup contact mediate the relationship between multicultural personality and allophilia. Further, using the newer procedure of exploratory structural equation modeling, the authors identified a bifactor model with a strong general factor undergirding the Multicultural Personality Inventory. Positive attitudes toward Asian Americans are predicted by multicultural personality and mediated by intergroup contact quality and quantity.

Much prior research relies on the idea that antipathy towards immigrants is primarily driven by natives’ perceptions of the threat that immigrants represent to their economic, cultural or national well-being. Yet little is known about whether subjective well-being affects attitudes toward immigrants. This study aimed to examine whether life satisfaction would foster tolerance towards immigrants over time via the indirect influence of political satisfaction and social trust. The sample comprised young native adults (N = 1352; M age = 22.72; SD = 3.1) in Sweden. The results revealed that young adults who were satisfied with important life domains were more likely to extend their satisfaction towards the political system, which consequently resulted in a generalised expectation of trustworthiness and a widening of their circles of trusted others. This then translates into more positive attitudes toward immigrants. The findings provide evidence that it is the causal relationship between political satisfaction and social trust (rather than social trust in itself) which promotes the positive impact of life satisfaction on tolerance towards immigrants. The study highlights that fostering political satisfaction and social trust may play an important role in shaping young people’s positive attitudes towards immigrants.