The central role of social exclusion when representing ethnic minorities and its association with intergroup attitudes

ABSTRACT

A mixed-methods approach was used to analyze the social representations of four ethnic minorities in southern Spain. Following a between-subjects design, Spanish participants (n = 532) were assigned to evaluate either Romanian Roma, Spanish Roma, Moroccan, or Romanian non-Roma people, with a free-association task and scales of stereotypes, emotions, and behavioral tendencies. Results showed that Romanian Roma was the most devalued target, eliciting the worst representation and attitudes. The content analysis revealed that participants described minorities mainly in terms of social exclusion, culture, appearance, personality, opportunity seeking, stigmatization, and personalization/equality, with social exclusion being a key category associated with worst attitudes.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethnic minorities
• intergroup attitudes
• social exclusion
• social representations

Acknowledgments

We thank Erika Vázquez and Laura Torres for their work as independent judges.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings and the materials of this study are openly available in OSF at https://osf.io/8ugbr

Open scholarship

This article has earned the Center for Open Science badges for Open Data and Open Materials through Open Practices Disclosure. The data and materials are openly accessible at https://osf.io/8ugbr and https://osf.io/8ugbr.

Additional information

Funding

This work is part of two R+D+i projects: ‘Limitations of the classical strategies to reduce prejudice and new proposals for the improvement of intergroup relations based on morality’ [RTI2018-098576-A-I00], and “The motivational underpinnings and the challenges of social change: gender, cultural and class-based perspectives for social transformation” [PID2021–126085OB-I00], financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain, the State Research Agency [AEI: 10.13039/501100011033], and FEDER “A way to make Europe”. Also, the contribution of the PPIT-UAL, Junta de Andalucía- ERDF 2021-2027. Programme: 54.A. The funding source had no other role than financial support.

Notes on contributors

María Sánchez-Castelló

María Sánchez-Castelló is lecturer at the University of Almería. Her research interests include intergroup attitudes, the process of acculturation and adaptation of adolescents (from the perspective of majority and ethnic minorities), and applied psychological measurement.

Lucía López-Rodríguez

Lucía López-Rodríguez is Associate Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Almería. Her career has focused on the study of the improvement of intergroup relations and its underlying psychosocial processes, as well as the analysis of the factors that favour or hinder social change. ORCID: 0000-0002-9153-0220.

Marisol Navas

Marisol Navas is Full Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Almería. Her research interests focus on intergroup attitudes (stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination) and the acculturation process, in majority and minority groups (especially immigrants). ORCID: 0000-0002-4026-8322.

Anna Maria Meneghini

Anna Maria Meneghini is Associate Professor of Dynamic Psychology at the Department of Human Sciences (University of Verona). Her studies have always been focused on motivations and emotions. She is also interested in the intergroup emotions related to the immigrants’ strategies of acculturation. ORCID: 0000-0002-0685-4360.

Sofia Morandini

Sofia Morandini is a research fellow at the University of Bologna. She conducted research in the field of work and organisational psychology as well as in the field of social and community psychology. She has also conducted research on human donating behaviour and intergroup interactions.