Extensive research has explored how the size of the ethnic out-group population in an environment affects inter-group attitudes. Drawing on the threat and contact hypotheses, this study develops and tests a theoretical framework which formally integrates segregation into this debate. Conceiving of the size of out-group and its level of segregation as (largely) distinct characteristics of a community, we suggest it will be the intersection of high exposure and high segregation that is problematic for inter-group relations. Using a sample of white British individuals in England, we observe that community segregation moderates the association between community percent non-white British and: prejudice, positive intergroup contact and (perceived) inter-group threat. Findings show that residents of more homogeneous communities report relatively warm inter-group attitudes, regardless of how segregated they are. Residents experiencing high out-group exposure in integrated communities report similarly warm attitudes. It is only residents living amongst large outgroup populations in segregated communities who evince colder out-group attitudes. This higher prejudice in high-exposure, segregated communities can be accounted for by both lower rates of positive inter-group contact and higher perceived-threat. This paper demonstrates the importance of accounting for segregation alongside out-group size when examining the spatial drivers of prejudice. Mechanisms of positive-contact and threat both appear conditional on the size of out-groups in an area and how segregated they are from one another, generating key differences in how out-group exposure affects inter-group relations.
Presented by:
James Laurence, University of Manchester
Date & time:
February 20, 2017 4:00 pm
Venue:
2N2.4.16
External seminars home