What Makes a Young Assertive Bystander? The Effect of Intergroup Contact, Empathy, Cultural Openness, and In‐Group Bias on Assertive Bystander Intervention Intentions

Abstract

The present research tests the indirect effects of intergroup contact on adolescents’ bystander intervention intentions via four potential mediators: “empathy,” “cultural openness,” “in‐group bias,” and “intergroup anxiety.” British adolescents (N= 855), aged 11–13 years, completed measures of intergroup (interethnic) contact and the identified indirect variables. Intended bystander behavior was measured by presenting participants with an intergroup (immigrant) name‐calling scenario. Participants rated the extent to which they would behave assertively. The findings extend previous intergroup contact research by showing a significant indirect effect of intergroup contact on assertive bystander intentions via empathy, cultural openness and in‐group bias (but not via intergroup anxiety). Theoretical implications and practical suggestions for future prejudice‐reduction interventions are discussed.