Influence of Intergroup Contact, Ethnicity and Education on Social Distance in Kosovo

Abstract

Reducing social distance between communities with a previous history of violence is one of the crucial challenges in post-conflict societies. Social distance refers to the degree of understanding and intimacy between members of different groups. In this respect, this study examined the influence of direct intergroup contact, extended intergroup contact (i.e., knowing that a member of the ingroup has a positive relationship with a member of the outgroup), education and ethnicity on social distance in Kosovo. The sample of this study consisted of Kosovo Albanian (N = 125) and Serbian participants (N = 103) from ethnically mixed and non-mixed areas in Kosovo. Using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, the results show that direct intergroup contact, extended intergroup contact, ethnicity and education are significant predictors of social distance in Kosovo. Among the variables studied, ethnicity was found as the best predictor of social distance in Kosovo. Consistent with the previous findings, the study results show that increased frequency of direct intergroup contact and extended intergroup contact reduced social distance in Kosovo. Similarly, the results show that an increased level of education reduced social distance only among Albanian participants.