Can conservatives who (de)humanize immigrants the most be able to support them? The power of imagined positive contact

Abstract

Despite studies examining political ideology, group dehumanization, and intergroup contact as predictors of intergroup support and affect, research on their interplay in shaping such outcomes has been limited. In fact, considering the possibility that conservatives might view immigrants in various ways (as more or less human) is important to understand the impact of interventions (positive imagined contact) on intergroup relations. The results of two experiments (N = 671) with U.S. citizens in relation to two outgroups—Muslim immigrants in Experiment 1 and Mexican immigrants in Experiment 2—consistently showed that imagined positive contact condition (vs. control/no contact condition) influenced intergroup support (i.e., in both experiments) and positive emotions (i.e., in Experiment 2) more for individuals who endorsed a conservative ideology and scored high for dehumanizing immigrants. Participants’ willingness to attribute positive emotions to outgroup members ultimately explained the observed effects. In this research, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for intergroup relations and outgroup dehumanization.

A type III continuous trauma perspective on the effects of increased ongoing hostility, discrimination, community violence and poverty on refugees' mental health and cognitive functioning: A longitudinal study

“…Further, population-wide interventions in refugee-hosting countries need to increase awareness of their suffering and address the factors that increase hostility towards refugees. For example, positive indirect contact was found to decrease hostility towards immigrants (e.g., Borinca, Çelik, & Storme, 2022).…”

Threats, Emotions, and Affective Polarization

“…Recent research by Thomsen and Thomsen (2022) shows that intergroup contact does seem to reduce affective polarization. Similarly, Borinca et al (2022) show that imagining positive contact with an outgroup influences intergroup support and positive emotions, and that these effects were magnified among those who most opposed the outgroups from the start.…”

Improving intergroup relation through humanization: The moderating role of negative direct contact and the mediating role of intergroup affect

“…Scholars suggest that humanization is important for people who experience different types of contact, including negative contact with outgroup members (Borinca et al, 2023). Relatedly, the interaction between positive intergroup contact (i.e., imagined contact) and outgroup (de)humanization has been shown to impact intergroup relations even among people most opposed to outgroup members (Borinca, Çelik, et al, 2022). As such, it is reasonable to expect that the interplay between negative direct contact and humanization would also play a part in determining the nature of intergroup relations.…”