Predicting Attitudes toward Outgroups in Singapore Beyond National

Predicting Attitudes toward Out-groups in Singapore: Beyond National Identity BENJAMIN H. DETENBER, MIRIAM HERNÁNDEZ, JOYCE S. PANG, & JAZZ TAN ZI JIN Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information

Background § Singapore is a small, island, city-state in SE Asia § Densely populated (5. 6 million) and wealthy (US$55 K GDP PC) § Multi-cultural society that values social harmony § Declining fertility rate & ageing citizen population – “Open” immigration policy § Conservative, but with growing awareness of LGBT issues and the gay community in Singapore (e. g. , Pink Dot) Objective §To what extent do multicultural beliefs and intergroup contact improve relationships between local and out-groups?

Ethnic & Civic Identity §Different conceptions of citizenship and how inclusive national identity is § Ethnic citizenship: The national group as a community of people of shared descent § A preference for cultural homogeneity & conformity to native majority § More negative views of immigrants § Civic citizenship: Respect for the basic civic principles of society § Focus on what it takes to be a good citizen § More welcoming toward immigrants or outsiders § Common dual belonging (Dovidio, et al. , 2007): Cultural differences are recognized and accepted in the context of a shared national identity § Positively related to civic identity, but negatively associated with ethnic identity § Mediates the relationship between national identity and views of immigrants (Verkuyten & Martinovic, 2015)

Contact theory § Allport’s (1954) Contact Theory: ↑ interpersonal contact = ↑ attitudes = ↓ inter-group prejudice towards out-groups § Quantity of contact versus quality of contact § Online contact Common Dual Belonging Quantity of contact Ethnic citizenship Civic citizenship Out-group Attitudes Quality of contact

Method § Self-administered online survey § Sample – 419 qualified participants § Eligibility: Singapore citizen or PR; Between 21 to 45 years of age (inclusive) § Administered through online research panel obtained by Qualtrics, LLC § § § Data collection period: Feb 11 – Mar 27 2018 National identity (ethnic & civic) Subscription to a sense of common dual belonging (i. e. , multiculturalism) Online contact with out-group members (quantity & quality) Attitudes toward immigrants, and gay men and lesbians (i. e. , two out-groups) § PROCESS Model 4 – Parallel Mediation

Findings Variable Immigrants Gay Men & Lesbians α M/SD Range Attitudes towards outgroups 0. 855 6. 10/1. 29 1 -10 0. 87 6. 21/1. 55 1 -10 Ethnic citizenship 0. 879 4. 40/1. 80 1 -7 Civic citizenship 0. 715 3. 78/1. 70 1 -7 Contact (Quantity) 0. 943 3. 35/1. 85 1 -7 0. 939 2. 70/1. 66 1 -7 Contact (Quality) 0. 835 4. 65/0. 99 1 -7 0. 832 4. 59/1. 11 1 -7 Common Dual Belonging 0. 835 3. 78/0. 82 1 -7

CDB. 33*** -. 05* -. 08 Ethnic citizenship Quantity of contact . 04 Out-group Attitudes Immigrants -. 17*** -. 15*** Ethnic citizenship Note: N = 341; *p <. 05, **p <. 01, *** p <. 001 Quality of contact -. 26*** . 42*** Out-group Attitudes Immigrants

CDB. 22**. 14***. 20*** Quantity of contact -. 00 Out-group Attitudes Immigrants . 20*** Civic citizenship. 09** Civic citizenship Note: N = 341; *p <. 05, **p <. 01, *** p <. 001 Quality of contact . 29*** . 56*** Out-group Attitudes Immigrants

CDB -. 04** -. 05 Quantity of contact . 06 -. 11** Ethnic citizenship -. 15*** Ethnic citizenship Note: N = 311; *p <. 05, **p <. 01, *** p <. 001 Quality of contact -. 23*** Out-group Attitudes Gay men & lesbians. 87*** Out-group Attitudes Gay men & Lesbians

CDB -. 05. 10***. 09 Quantity of contact . 05 Civic citizenship. 04 Civic citizenship Not: N = 311; *p <. 05, **p <. 01, *** p <. 001 Quality of contact . 08 Out-group Attitudes Gay men & lesbians. 92*** Out-group Attitudes Gay men & Lesbians

Discussion § Ethnic national identity is associated with more negative attitudes toward both groups § Civic identity is associated with more positive attitudes toward immigrants §A sense of common dual belonging (CDB) partially mediates the relationship between civic identity and attitudes toward immigrants § Some alignment with findings of Verkuyten & Martinovic (2015) §Quality of online contact provides a stronger path of indirect association than CDB § A different pattern of relationships when gay men and lesbians are the out-group § Possibly due to the religious and social stigma attached to homosexuality

Thanks tdetenber@ntu. edu. sg