The contact hypothesis during the European refugee crisis: Relating quality and quantity of (in direct intergroup contact to attitudes towards refugees.

Published in Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 2021

Recommended citation: De Coninck, D., Rodríguez-de-Dios, I. & d’Haenens, L. (2021). The contact hypothesis during the European refugee crisis: Relating quality and quantity of (in)direct intergroup contact to attitudes towards refugees. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 24 (6), 881-901. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1368430220929394

This study analyses the relationship between the frequency and valence of direct intergroup contact with people with a migration background, the frequency of indirect contact with news on refugees, and the perception of realistic and symbolic threat, and attitudes towards refugees among adults in four European countries (N = 6,000). Findings indicate that interethnic contact is positively related to attitudes towards refugees. Moreover, valence of direct contact is found to be more important to attitude formation than its frequency. Regarding indirect contact, exposure to news on refugees and public news consumption are positively related to attitudes.

Download paper here

Recommended citation: De Coninck, D., Rodríguez-de-Dios, I. & d’Haenens, L. (2021). The contact hypothesis during the European refugee crisis: Relating quality and quantity of (in)direct intergroup contact to attitudes towards refugees. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 24 (6), 881-901.