Prejudice-relevant Correlates of Attitudes towards Refugees: A Meta-analysis

Abstract

This article meta-analyses the available data on attitudes towards refugees and asylum seekers, with the aim of estimating effect sizes for the relationships between these attitudes and prejudice-relevant correlates. Seventy studies (Ntotal = 13,720) were located using systematic database searches and calls for unpublished data. In the case of demographic factors, being male, religious, nationally identified, politically conservative, and less educated were associated with negative attitudes (Fisher’s zs = 0.11, 0.17, 0.18, 0.21, and –0.16, respectively). For ideological factors, increases in right-wing authoritarianism and social-dominance orientations correlated with negative attitudes, while the endorsement of macro (but not micro) justice principles were associated with positive attitudes (Fisher’s zs = 0.50, 0.50, –0.29, and 0.00, respectively). Perceptions of refugees as symbolic and realistic threats were the strongest correlates of negative attitudes (Fisher’s zs = 0.98 and 1.11, respectively). These findings have contributed to the growing body of knowledge that endeavors to understand the antecedents of refugee-specific prejudice, and are discussed in light of the global refugee crisis.

The role of psychological inflexibility and perspective taking in anti-racism and anti-sexism

“…In addition to race, one's gender identity and political affiliation have been shown to influence the holding of prejudiced beliefs (e.g. Cowling et al, 2019;Crawford et al, 2017). We therefore aimed to clarify whether psychological inflexibility and perspective taking offer utility in predicting anti-prejudicial attitudes and behaviors beyond personal demographics, consistent with previous models of psychological contributors to prejudice which have included demographic factors as covariates (e.g.…”

Attitudes Toward Separating Immigrant Families at the United States–Mexico Border

“…To identify candidate psychological predictors of immigrant family separation, we turned to well‐established literatures in social‐personality and political psychology about racial and ethnic prejudices (Dovidio, Hewstone, Glick, & Esses, 2010; Nelson, 2016; Stephan & Stephan, 2000; Wagner, Christ, & Heitmeyer, 2010). We hypothesized that agreement with immigrant family separation could be predicted by the tendencies to dehumanize immigrants (Kteily, Bruneau, Waytz, & Cotterill, 2015), perceive immigrants as realistic or symbolic threats (Cowling et al., 2019; Esses, Dovidio, Jackson, & Armstrong, 2001; Jackson, Brown, Brown, & Marks, 2001; Stephan, Renfro, Esses, Stephan, & Martin, 2005), and by indicators of conservative social, political, or religious ideology, such as social dominance (Pratto, Sidanius, Stallworth, & Malle, 1994), right‐wing authoritarian personality (Sibley & Duckitt, 2008), and religious fundamentalism (Altemeyer & Hunsburger, 1992).…”

First Impressions of Faces of Refugees are More Strongly Influenced by Target Cues and Perceiver Attitudes Than by Sheer Group Affiliation

“…Refugees' integration has become one of the most important and challenging issues in recent times (e.g., Bach & Schenke, 2017;Echterhoff et al, in press;Esses, Hamilton, & Gaucher, 2017;. This is reflected not only in political debates (e.g., Dinas et al, 2019;Goodman & Kirkwood, 2019;van Prooijen, Krouwel, & Emmer, 2018) but also in an increasing number of studies on stereotypes and prejudice toward refugees (e.g., Bansak et al, 2016;Canetti, Snider, Pedersen, & Hall, 2016;Cowling, Anderson, & Ferguson, 2019;Echterhoff, Hellmann, Back, Esses, & Wagner, 2019;Hangartner, Dinas, Marbach, Matakos, & Xefteris, 2019;Kotzur et al, 2017;Kotzur et al, 2019;Murray & Marx, 2013;Schweitzer, Perkoulidis, Krome, Ludlow, & Ryan, 2005).…”