TY - JOUR
T1 - Personal contact with refugees is key to welcoming them: An analysis of politicians’ and citizens’ attitudes towards refugee integration
AU - Knappert, Lena J.
AU - Van Dijk, Hans
AU - Yuan, Shuai
AU - van Prooijen, Jan-Willem
AU - Engel, Yuval
AU - Krouwel, André
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Politicians are influential both in directing policies about refugees and in framing public discourse about them. However, unlike other host country residents, politicians’ attitudes towards refugees and integration are remarkably understudied. We therefore examine similarities and differences between politicians’ attitudes towards refugee integration and those held by citizens. Based on the Stereotype Content Model, we expect that political ideology informs stereotypes about refugees, which subsequently shape attitudes towards refugee integration. Based on the Contact Hypothesis, we further argue that personal contact with refugees reduces negative stereotypes about them – in particular for those endorsing a right-wing ideology. We draw on data collected via two surveys with 905 politicians and 8,013 citizens in The Netherlands, to show that (1) residents (i.e., politicians and citizens) who hold a right-wing orientation hold more negative stereotypes about refugees than those with a left-wing orientation, which in turn relate to more negative attitudes towards refugee integration; (2) personal contact with refugees reduces negative stereotypes among residents; and (3) politicians, compared to citizens, reported overall less negative stereotypes and more positive attitudes towards refugee integration. The practical implication of fostering residents’ contact with refugees as well as the implications for future research on politicians’ stereotypes and integration attitudes are discussed.
AB - Politicians are influential both in directing policies about refugees and in framing public discourse about them. However, unlike other host country residents, politicians’ attitudes towards refugees and integration are remarkably understudied. We therefore examine similarities and differences between politicians’ attitudes towards refugee integration and those held by citizens. Based on the Stereotype Content Model, we expect that political ideology informs stereotypes about refugees, which subsequently shape attitudes towards refugee integration. Based on the Contact Hypothesis, we further argue that personal contact with refugees reduces negative stereotypes about them – in particular for those endorsing a right-wing ideology. We draw on data collected via two surveys with 905 politicians and 8,013 citizens in The Netherlands, to show that (1) residents (i.e., politicians and citizens) who hold a right-wing orientation hold more negative stereotypes about refugees than those with a left-wing orientation, which in turn relate to more negative attitudes towards refugee integration; (2) personal contact with refugees reduces negative stereotypes among residents; and (3) politicians, compared to citizens, reported overall less negative stereotypes and more positive attitudes towards refugee integration. The practical implication of fostering residents’ contact with refugees as well as the implications for future research on politicians’ stereotypes and integration attitudes are discussed.
U2 - 10.1111/pops.12705
DO - 10.1111/pops.12705
M3 - Article
SN - 0162-895X
VL - 42
SP - 423
EP - 442
JO - Political Psychology
JF - Political Psychology
IS - 3
ER -