Host countries are not always accepting or welcoming of immigrants who relocate to escape dire circumstances. A recent study by Dr. Roque Mendez (professor in the Psychology Department at Texas State University) and Elia Hilda Bueno (Texas State alum and current doctoral student at the University of Arizona) explored differences in such attitudes.
In the study, “Perceived Competence and Agreeableness Predict Postive Behaviors Toward Mexican Immigrants” published in the Proceedings from the 24th Congress of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, the researchers assigned 429 undergraduate students–30.6% of whom were Hispanic–to read and evaluate different vignettes about Mexican immigrants. The vignettes varied in their general descriptions of the immigrants, ranging from high skill and low skill versus high to low warmth or affability. Participants were also asked questions to assess their own personal characteristics including openness to experience, agreeableness, and acculturation. The researchers found that an immigrant’s competence elicited more positive more competent immigrants were more likely to be liked and welcomed. The more agreeable the participant, the more they displayed positive sentiments and actions toward immigrants. Furthermore, acculturation within Latinos correlated negatively with positive feelings and actions toward immigrants. More acculturated Hispanic participants were less welcoming of immigrants.
The findings show the varied prejudices held of immigrants and the types of discrimination they might face. The findings also “serve to inform policymakers of the varied prejudices held of immigrants and the types of discrimination they are likely to face in order to help them implement humane policy options,” the researchers write. Attitudes and behaviors toward immigrants depend more on perceived competence than warmth and on the agreeableness and acculturation of people in the host country.