United as One_Preprint

Abstract

Global threats are often perceived as triggers of intergroup conflict and prejudice. However, threats that jointly affect in- and outgroup members can also enhance intergroup cooperation and decrease prejudice. In this research, we investigated how different appraisals of threat (to personal vs. social identity motives) and different forms of cooperation (as one group or as separate groups) predict modern prejudice towards ethnic minorities and solidarity-based helping intentions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a set of four studies (N = 2,772) conducted in five countries, we found evidence that personal threats were positively related to lower levels of modern prejudice towards ethnic minorities via preferences for cooperation as separate-groups. On the contrary, social identity threats were positively related to modern prejudice via preferences for cooperation as one group. We discuss the implications of these findings for shaping equality-based intergroup relations in times of global threats.