Majority members' acculturation goals as predictors and effects of attitudes and behaviours towards migrants

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Daniel Geschke - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Author)
  • Amélie Mummendey - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Author)
  • Thomas Kessler - , University of Exeter (Author)
  • Friedrich Funke - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Author)

Abstract

Migration causes permanent processes of acculturation involving migrants but also members of mainstream society. A longitudinal field study with 70 German majority members investigated how their acculturation goals causally related to their attitudes and behaviours towards migrants. We distinguished acculturation goals concerning the migrants' culture(s) (what migrants should do) and acculturation goals concerning the usually neglected own changing mainstream culture. Both were conceived along the two dimensions of 'culture maintenance' and 'culture adoption'. Cross-sectionally we found many strong links between acculturation goals and attitudes and behaviours towards migrants, only some of which held longitudinally. As hypothesized there was no clear one-sided causal direction. As many causal links lead from acculturation goals to attitudes and behaviours, as in the opposite direction. Majority members' German culture acculturation goals proved especially valuable, because they determined attitudes and behaviour towards migrants most strongly.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)489-506
Number of pages18
JournalBritish Journal of Social Psychology
Volume49
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2010
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

PubMed 19883525
ORCID /0000-0003-3731-9798/work/142249637

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas