TY - JOUR

T1 - Can cross-group contact predict advantaged group member’s willingness to engage in costly solidarity-based actions? Yes, if the contact is politicized

AU - Becker, Julia C.

AU - Wright, Stephen C.

AU - Siem, Birte

PY - 2022/3

Y1 - 2022/3

N2 - Positive cross-group contact with disadvantaged group members can reduce prejudice, and, under certain conditions, increase solidarity-based action intentions among advantaged group members. In the present work, we distinguish between positive contact (friendly, cooperative) versus politicized contact (where group-based injustice is discussed) as well as between benevolent helping offered to the disadvantaged group versus costly solidarity-based actions. We predict that positive contact is related to benevolent helping, whereas politicized contact is related to willingness to engage in costly solidarity-based activism. In two studies (N = 257, N = 329), results support these hypotheses: for nonmigrants in Germany and the United Kingdom, positive contact with migrants, mediated by empathy, positive emotions, and movement identification, was a better predictor of benevolent helping, whereas politicized contact with migrants, mediated by anger and/or movement identification was a better predictor of endorsement of costly solidarity-based activism.

AB - Positive cross-group contact with disadvantaged group members can reduce prejudice, and, under certain conditions, increase solidarity-based action intentions among advantaged group members. In the present work, we distinguish between positive contact (friendly, cooperative) versus politicized contact (where group-based injustice is discussed) as well as between benevolent helping offered to the disadvantaged group versus costly solidarity-based actions. We predict that positive contact is related to benevolent helping, whereas politicized contact is related to willingness to engage in costly solidarity-based activism. In two studies (N = 257, N = 329), results support these hypotheses: for nonmigrants in Germany and the United Kingdom, positive contact with migrants, mediated by empathy, positive emotions, and movement identification, was a better predictor of benevolent helping, whereas politicized contact with migrants, mediated by anger and/or movement identification was a better predictor of endorsement of costly solidarity-based activism.

KW - Psychology

KW - positive contact

KW - cross-group contact

KW - costly solidarity-based action

KW - politicized contact

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85127374209&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.4473/TPM29.1.9

DO - 10.4473/TPM29.1.9

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85127374209

VL - 29

SP - 123

EP - 139

JO - Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology

JF - Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology

SN - 1972-6325

IS - 1 Special Issue

ER -