Paupers or riches: The perception of immigrants, tourists and ingroup members in a sample of Spanish children

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyse the perception a group of 221 Spanish school children aged 10 and 11 years (116 girls and 105 boys) have of themselves, tourists and immigrants. The survey was carried out in an area of south-east Spain in which there is a significant presence of both tourists and immigrants. The children answered a series of open-ended questions and a semantic differential scale with questions regarding these three groups. Results show that although in absolute terms immigrants are not perceived negatively, their image is worse than that held of tourists and ingroup members. The opinion held about immigrants becomes more negative as children get older, especially among male participants. Moreover, immigrants are better perceived if they are seen as workers - less 'strange' and with more money - and if there is also a better perception held towards tourists. We explain these results from a socio-psychological perspective.