Exploring the Differential Effects of Perceived Threat on Attitudes Toward Ethnic Minority Groups in Germany.

Alexander Jedinger,Marcus Eisentraut

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02895

Alexander Jedinger, Marcus Eisentraut

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02895

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Abstract

Adopting a differentiated threat approach, we investigated the relationship between cultural, economic, and criminal threat on attitudes toward four different ethnic minorities in Germany (Muslims, foreigners, refugees, and Sinti and Roma). We hypothesized that the effect of different types of intergroup threats on ethnic prejudice varies with the perceived characteristics of minority groups. Using a representative sample of German adults, we found that cultural and economic threat primarily predicted attitudes toward Muslims and foreigners, while criminal threat played a minor role in attitude formation among the majority population. For refugees and Sinti and Roma, all three types of intergroup threats were found to be equally important for the prediction of attitudes toward these minority groups. These results are only partially in line with the culture-specific threat profiles of these minority groups in the German context. Therefore, we discuss the tenability of the differentiated threat approach to explain the genesis of ethnic prejudice in different cultural contexts.

Highlights

Right-wing populist parties and candidates often evoke threat scenarios to fuel anti-immigrant sentiments and spark opposition to policies that favor minorities (Jetten et al, 2017; Schmuck and Matthes, 2017)
Based on a differentiated threat approach (Meuleman et al, 2017, 2019), we explore whether the primacy of different kinds of threats in explaining prejudice is outgroup-specific because minority groups can differ in the extent to which they subjectively threaten the cultural, economic, and security-related interests of the majority group
To embed the differentiated threat model (DTM) in a wider nomological network, we explore whether perceptions of cultural, economic, and criminal threats are affected differently by right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and social dominance orientation (SDO)

Summary

Introduction

Right-wing populist parties and candidates often evoke threat scenarios to fuel anti-immigrant sentiments and spark opposition to policies that favor minorities (Jetten et al, 2017; Schmuck and Matthes, 2017). During the 2017 federal election campaign in Germany, the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) warned against Muslim migrants as a danger to democracy, safety, and shared cultural values (Biskamp, 2018). These types of populist appeals are often based on the (implicit) assumption that people have different sensitivities to qualitatively different types of threats. While the impact of perceived threats on ethnic prejudices is well documented (Riek et al, 2006), there is a lack of research on the differential effect of threatening cues on specific out-group attitudes.

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