Date created: | Last Updated:

Category: Project

Description: Based on an integration of socio-ecological systems and inter-group contact theory, we hypothesized that the context in which intergroup contact takes place moderates its association with attitudes towards refugees. To test this prediction, majority members in Germany reported in three studies (Ntotal = 695) how often they have had positive and negative direct and indirect contact with refugees in different contexts as well as their attitudes towards refugees. While the association between direct contact and intergroup attitudes was relatively context-independent, the association between indirect contact and attitudes towards refugees strongly depended on context. Indirect contact was more strongly associated with attitudes towards refugees in contexts with close relationships (family and friends) than in contexts with distanced relationships (newspaper and TV).