Eva G. T. Green and
Juan Manuel Falomir-Pichastor

The Interplay of Social Norms and Intergroup Contact in Understanding Immigration Attitudes in Multicultural Societies

In Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe, members of the national majority are exposed to immigration in their everyday lives. Both the interactions one has with immigrants (the quality of these interactions, their frequency) as well as societal norms (shaped by legislation, policies, social climate, and media depictions) shape one‘s attitudes related to immigration. To understand and combat anti-immigration prejudice and discrimination, it is crucial to understand how such interactions and societal norms act in concert.

Project Fact Sheet (PDF)
Main Results (PDF)

Messages for Decision-Makers

Positive encounters with immigrants need to be encouraged as they foster tolerant attitudes and prevent the influence of exclusive and intolerant climates.
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Inclusive climates facilitate tolerant attitudes: tolerance can be promoted through awareness of diversity policies and anti-discrimination legislation, balanced communication of public opinion (e.g., debunking stereotypes depicted in media) and knowledge of inclusive authority stances towards immigration.

Project-related scientific publications Select publication   Green, Eva G. T., Emilio Paolo Visintin, Oriane Sarrasin and Miles Hewstone When integration policies shape the impact of intergroup contact on threat perceptions: a multilevel study across 20 European countries 2020   Heath, Anthony, Eldad Davidov, Robert Ford, Eva G. T. Green, Alice Ramos and Peter Schmidt Contested terrain: explaining divergent patterns of public opinion towards immigration within Europe 2020   Visintin, Emilio Paolo, Jacques Berent, Eva G. T. Green and Juan Manuel Falomir-Pichastor The interplay between social dominance orientation and intergroup contact in explaining support for multiculturalism 2019   Green, Eva G. T. and Oriane Sarrasin Individual and contextual explanations of attitudes toward immigration In Croucher 2018   Green, Eva G. T., Emilio Paolo Visintin and Oriane Sarrasin From ethnic group boundary demarcation to deprovincialization: The interplay of immigrant presence and ideological climate 2018   Sarrasin, Oriane, Eva G. T. Green, Claudio Bolzman, Emilio Paolo Visintin and Emanuele Politi Competition- and Identity-based Roots of Anti-immigration Prejudice among Individuals with and without an Immigrant Background 2018   Visintin, Emilio Paolo, Eva G. T. Green and Oriane Sarrasin Inclusive Normative Climates Strengthen the Relationship Between Identification With Europe and Tolerant Immigration Attitudes: Evidence From 22 Countries 2018