Reducing prejudice and addressing inequalities with intergroup contact

Recent research on intergroup contact has shown that contact, instead of promoting greater intergroup equality, may in some conditions have unintended effects on social change and collective action intentions, both among disadvantaged and advantaged group members (in the latter case results are more mixed). This is not surprising, since positive contact undermines the very conditions identified by collective action research in order to foster greater desire to engage in actions challenging inequalities. We present two correlational studies aimed at testing whether contact can promote at the same time reduced prejudice and stronger intentions to engage in collective action by considering the relationship between advantaged (Italians) and disadvantaged (immigrants) members. In particular, we provide an integration between the basic tenets of social identity theory with respect to social change and intergroup contact research. In the first study, participants were advantaged members (Italian university students); in the second study, conducted with high-school students, participants belonged both to the advantaged (Italians) and disadvantaged (immigrants) group. Results from the first study reveal that contact is associated with greater social change motivation when it is more focused on differences than on commonalities. In the second study we found that contact is associated with greater motivation for social change both among advantaged and disadvantaged members, and that legitimization of status differences acts as a key mediator. Moreover, some of these effects, among advantaged members, were only significant when membership salience was high. Theoretical and practical implications of findings are discussed.