Intergroup contact and exposure to information about immigrants: Experimental evidence

This paper investigates the relationship between beliefs about and attitudes toward immigrants and the role of intergroup contact between natives and migrants in Eastern Germany. Using probability-based survey data, we experimentally varied respondents’ access to accurate information about the size of the immigrant population in their region.

Our main findings:

• Respondents who received this information expressed more supportive attitudes toward immigration.

• The effects were particularly pronounced for attitudes toward high-skilled immigrants.

• Respondents who had less prior contact with immigrants responded more strongly to the intervention.

Overall, our findings suggest that limited intergroup contact and biased beliefs about immigrants are complementary targets for information-based interventions.

Read the paper here: PaperExternal link

A short policy brief in German is also available at ifo Dresden berichtet: ifo DresdenExternal link