Changing Attitudes Toward the Homeless: The Effects of Prosocial Communication With the Homeless

Abstract

One hundred, thirty-four undergraduate students participated in a field experiment designed to examine the effects of extended, prosocial communication with homeless persons, upon attitudes toward the homeless problem, of behavioral intentions towards the homeless, and of causal attributions about homelessness. It was expected that prosocial interaction with the homeless would produce shifts in attitudes and behavioral intentions toward the homeless and homelessness and result in greater attributions of external causes to explain homelessness. Nineteen experimental participants worked 15 hours at a local homeless shelter. Their responses to a posttest questionnaire that measured a range of attitudinal and behavioral orientations toward the homeless were compared with control participants who did not work at the shelter. Subsequent analyses furnished strong evidence of positive changes in attitudes and intentions toward homelessness among the shelter workers. These participants evaluated homeless people as less blameworthy and more socially attractive than did control participants; moreover, shelter workers indicated more personal responsibility and behavioral commitment to helping the homeless than control participants. They also perceived the homeless problem to be more serious and were more likely to attribute homelessness to bad luck than control participants. However, the two groups were equally likely to attribute homelessness to various external causes such as the economy, housing costs, and governmental policies. The results are interpreted as having policy implications for volunteer service.

Imagined contact can be more effective for participants with stronger initial prejudices

“…Homeless people are stereotyped as dirty, lazy, morally bankrupt, and potentially dangerous (Whaley & Link, ). Though positive contact can improve attitudes toward the homeless, it is a relatively rare occurrence (Hocking & Lawrence, ) and to date, only two studies have shown that imagined contact can improve responses to homeless people (Falvo, Capozza, Bernardo, & Pagani, ; Hodson et al, ). In Experiment 1, we focused on this target group.…”

When good overcomes bad: The impact of volunteers on those they help

“…Cnaan & Cascio, 1999). In these fields, research usually examines characteristics of volunteers and the motives behind their decision to volunteer, compares the effectiveness of volunteers with that of professionals (Golden, 1991), or explores the influence of volunteering on the volunteers themselves and the benefits they may gain (Hamilton & Fenzel, 1988;Hocking & Lawrence, 2000;Johnson et al, 1998;Moore & Allen, 1996;Schondel et al, 1995). However, there is a marked lacuna in our knowledge of the special impact that volunteers, who may symbolize altruism and good intentions, have on their target audience.…”

Contact and Anxiety as Predictors of Bias Toward the Homeless1

“…Large‐scale meta‐analyses provide extensive support for the value of contact, finding relationships between contact with members of ethnic out‐groups and more positive affective attitudes toward out‐groups (Pettigrew & Tropp, 2000, 2006), as well as consistent but smaller effects for reduced endorsement of negative stereotypes (Tropp & Pettigrew, 2005). Similarly, several studies demonstrated that contact experiences improve attitudes toward the homeless (Hocking & Lawrence, 2000; Lee, Farrell, & Link, 2004).…”