Cultural Differences in the Role of Economic Competitiveness in Prejudice toward Immigrants and Foreign Workers

Abstract

This study investigated cultural differences in the role of economic competitiveness in prejudice toward immigrants and foreign workers betweenNorthern Europeanheritage and East Asian cultures. Because economic competitiveness and achievement are associated with core cultural values in Northern European-heritage cultures, we hypothesized that economic competitiveness would be associated with prejudice toward immigrants and foreign workers more strongly in Northern European-heritage than in East Asian cultures. Results based on nationally representative samples drawn from the World Values Survey revealed that prejudice toward immigrants and foreign workers was generally higher in East Asian (South Korea and China) than in Northern European-heritage (Norway and the United States) cultures. However, as predicted, a stronger association was found between economic competitiveness and prejudice toward immigrants and foreign workers in Northern European-heritage than East Asian cultures, controlling for sociodemographic backgrounds of participants (gender, age, education, and income), ecological diversity of each country, values of uniqueness and conformity, attitude toward ethnic diversity, and racism. These findings support the hypothesis that the central values of a culture shape the nature of prejudice within it, including prejudice toward immigrants and foreign workers, and highlight the importance of understanding the cultural dynamics of prejudice.

Social and biological intergroup hierarchy beliefs: A cross-cultural comparison between the US and South Korea

“…Not only does this distinction relate to a larger debate about the impact of nature versus nurture attribution for psychological phenomena and the consequences of these attributions (see also Rangel & Keller, 2011), but also it more narrowly relates to the justification for the perceived stability of intergroup hierarchies. For instance, the endorsement of social hierarchies in the US was predicted by the emphasis on individual achievements, a core cultural value of NEH cultures that emphasize personal choice (Markus, Mullally, & Kitayama, 1997) and consequent capitalistic/meritocratic achievements (Schwartz, 1992, 1994; Shin & Dovidio, 2016; see also Weber, 1905). The value of individual achievements in NEH cultures, combined with the tendency to attribute outcomes to person-related factors in NEH cultures (the “fundamental attribution error,” Ross, 1977; see also the “correspondence bias,” Choi & Nisbett, 1998; Gilbert & Malone, 1995; Morris & Peng, 1994), can provide culturally acceptable justifications for social hierarchies.…”

“…For example, Rangel and Keller (2011) found that the degree to which German participants endorsed the Protestant ethic was associated with beliefs about social determinism but not with beliefs about genetic determinism. Protestant ethic is a core cultural value of NEH culture that emphasizes personal diligence and encourages individual achievements including individual wealth (Weber, 1905; see also Shin & Dovidio, 2016). Their results imply that the value of individual achievements may be associated with the emphasis on social qualities more strongly than the emphasis on biological qualities in NEH cultures.…”

“…We predicted that people higher in individual-orientation (i.e., the emphasis on individual achievements ) would endorse social hierarchies more strongly, and more strongly than biological hierarchies, particularly in the US (compared to South Korea). This is because social hierarchies (e.g., hierarchies based on income or education levels) are generally perceived as based on “achieved” status and the emphasis on individual achievements represents a core cultural value of NEH cultures but not of EA cultures (Shin & Dovidio, 2016). Previous research has also found that Whites who endorse meritocracy (the more achievement, the more reward) more strongly tend to express more negative attitudes toward racial/ethnic minorities with a low socioeconomic status (Horberg, Kraus, & Keltner, 2013; Knowles & Lowery, 2012).…”

Differences, Threats, Values, and Country‐Specific Prejudice toward Immigrants and Foreign Workers in Three Major Receiving Countries: The United States, Germany, and Australia

“…Research has generally emphasized basic, and often assumed to be universal, psychological influences that contribute to prejudice toward immigrants and foreign workers (e.g., perceived realistic conflicts; Esses, Jackson, Dovidio, & Hodson, ). However, prejudice toward immigrants and foreign workers may also be affected by specific norms and values that can vary across countries and cultures (Shin & Dovidio, ). For example, the relationship between conceptions of national identity and attitudes toward immigrants differs between Canada and Germany (Esses, Wagner, Wolf, Preiser, & Wilbur, ).…”

“…We compared the United States (U.S.), Germany, and Australia. These three countries are among the major immigrant‐receiving nations (United Nations International Migrant Report, 2017) and share a Northern European‐heritage culture, which emphasizes individualism (Triandis, ) and the Protestant work ethic and capitalism (Shin & Dovidio, ). However, these countries differ on a range of demographic and societal dimensions and in historical and contemporary political orientations toward immigrants and foreign workers.…”