Perception of intergroup threat of Croatian receiving community in the context of integration of refugees
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19090/pp.v17i4.2528Keywords:
integration, refugees, receiving community, threat, attitudesAbstract
Integration of refugees and receiving community members (RCMs) has been an expanding topic in research on group dynamics in the past fifteen years. A higher level of integration is indicated by lower levels of the perception of intergroup threat felt between refugees and RCMs. The Integrated Threat theory defines two types of threat – realistic and symbolic. Realistic relates to resources and interests such as socio-economic and physical safety, while symbolic relates to cultural and social elements such as norms, values, and way of life. The goal of this study is to explore whether some socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics and socio-psychological indicators of integration predict the levels of realistic and symbolic threat perception in Croatian RCMs. A sample of 600 RCMs participated in the study, collected using the random walk technique. Data were analysed using SEM, and the two final models showed a good fit. More than a fifth of the variance of realistic threat and more than a third of the variance of symbolic threat was explained by the models. RCMs with lower levels of education, right-wing orientation, lower household income and less support for the rights of refugees showed higher levels of realistic threat. Higher levels of symbolic threat were shown by older RCMs, right-wing oriented, those who perceived refugees to be a part of the society in Croatia to a lesser degree, and showed less support for the rights of refugees. Political orientation and support for the rights of refugees are particularly highlighted as predictors of both types of threat.
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