Prejudice and Discrimination Toward Immigrants

Abstract

Prejudice and discrimination toward immigrants, and the consequences of these negative attitudes and behavior, are key determinants of the economic, sociocultural, and civic-political future of receiving societies and of the individuals who seek to make these societies their new home. In this article I review and organize the existing literature on the determinants and nature of prejudice and discrimination toward immigrants, summarizing what we know to date and the challenges in attributing effects to immigrant status per se. I also discuss the consequences of discrimination against immigrants for immigrants themselves, their families, and the societies in which they settle. I conclude by presenting key research questions and topics in this domain that should be at the top of the research agenda for those interested in intergroup relations in this age of mass migration. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Psychology, Volume 72 is January 4, 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Congruence and discrepancy in migrant children’s and mothers’ perceived discrimination: Using response surface analysis to examine the effects on psychological distress

“…Fourth, one of our inclusion criteria was that mothers and children had migrated to Hong Kong within 7 years; this decision was based on the assumption that after individuals receive permanent resident status, they may no longer be viewed as “outsiders” in their new cultural context. Being recognized as a permanent resident may increase migrants’ social status, thereby leading to fewer experiences of discrimination (Esses, 2020). Our reasoning, however, is speculative and needs to be empirically tested.…”

“…Perceived discrimination is an individual's subjective experience of being unfairly treated based on membership in a social group (derived from actual or perceived experiences) and is significantly related to negative outcomes among immigrants (Esses, 2020; Schmitt et al, 2014). Previous studies identified a positive association between perceived discrimination and various adverse outcomes among migrants (Lee & Ahn, 2011; Pascoe & Smart Richman, 2009).…”

“…Therefore, evidence regarding the extent to which congruence and discrepancy in perceived discrimination may serve as a risk factor predicting children's and mothers’ adjustment outcomes remains scarce. Moreover, most studies on the association between perceived discrimination and psychological outcomes have been conducted in the Western context (Esses, 2020). This creates limitations when using available evidence to inform cost‐effective intervention strategies aimed at facilitating better adaptation to adversities in migrant families, such as tailoring psychological distress‐reduction intervention programs to meet the specific needs of Chinese migrant children and mothers.…”

Integrating Canadian Youth: The State of Intergroup Contact, Belonging, and Support for Immigration

“…Allport (1954) posits that negative attitudes towards a different social group-in the context of this study, against immigrants-can be ameliorated through intergroup contact, in which individuals interact with people from the other social group. However, it is vital to consider the context and quality of contact, as not all contact promotes positive perceptions, and negative contact has the possibility to negatively affect intergroup relations (Esses, 2021;Robinson et al, 2020). For example, Kiehne's (2019) research on anti-immigrant prejudice in university students provides evidence linking intergroup contact with reduced anti-immigrant prejudice.…”

Recognizing the Needs of Others: Municipal Candidates’ Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations to Support Immigrants and Religious Minorities

“…Much research seeks to explain individuals' attitudes toward immigrants and immigration (for reviews, see Hainmueller and Hopkins, 2014;Esses, 2021) and, more recently, public opinion toward religious symbols (Bilodeau et al, 2018;Ferland, 2018;Turgeon et al, 2019). While the attitudes of the general public are of great interest, demographic shifts brought on by migration are spurring significant changes in the composition of the electorate, posing new questions about what motivates politicians to recognize the needs of immigrants and religious minorities.…”