Effects of refugees’ perceived forcedness, dehumanizing media portrayals, and perceived control on attitudes towards refugee integration in Canada and Germany.
Final Report Abstract
In this project, we conducted three studies in which we manipulated the forcedness (high vs. low) and dehumanizing portrayal (dehumanizing vs. humanizing) of a described refugee group. The studies were conducted in Canada, Germany, and the US. We investigated whether these factors influenced attitudes towards refugees and their integration, and whether perceived control of the participants’ country over refugees entering the country could moderate effects of both factors. Overall, we found that the effects of dehumanization were similar across countries – dehumanization led to less positive attitudes towards refugees and their integration. This effect was moderated by the perceived control of the participants’ country over refugees entering the country in Canada and the US, where perceptions of control are generally higher than in Germany. In those country, effects of dehumanization were especially pronounced in participants who experienced high levels of control while participants who experienced low levels of control showed more negative attitudes towards refugees and their integration regardless of the dehumanizing portrayal. Effects of forcedness, however, differed between countries – while higher forcedness led to more positive attitudes towards refugees and their integration in Germany and Canada, the reverse effect could be observed in the US sample in which forcedness decreased the perceived humanness of refugees which led to more negative attitudes towards refugees and their integration. In the German sample, effects of forcedness on attitudes towards refugees and their integration were mediated by pity and a moderation effect of perceived control of Germany over refugees entering the country was observed. The effect of forcedness was especially pronounced in participants who reported lower levels of perceived control. An interaction effect of forcedness and dehumanization was only observed in the Canadian sample, such that perceived threat was especially high when the refugee group was described in a dehumanizing way and experienced low forcedness which in turn led to less desire for integration of the described refugee group. There was no difference between the dehumanizing and humanizing condition regarding threat and desire for integration when the described forcedness was high. Overall, the results allow for interesting comparisons between three Western countries that differ in their perceived control over refugees entering their country and in their attitudes towards refugees. While dehumanizing portrayals seem to have universal effects in these samples, the effects of forcedness can differ depending on participants’ culture.
