Intergroup Threat of Undocumented Mexican Immigrants: Predictors of Policy Attitudes

The present research utilized intergroup threat theory (ITT) to examine the extent to which threat perceptions of undocumented Mexican immigrants predicted immigration policy attitudes. We conceptualized intergroup threat as symbolic threat, realistic threat, anxiety, negative stereotyping, and extended prior investigations of ITT by assessing positive stereotyping. Two of the four dependent measures were nonspecific to country of origin: views on general immigration policy and pro-immigration attitudes. The two country-specific measures included views on policies directly implicating immigration from Mexico and agreement with providing Mexican immigrants with basic resources in detention centers. We hypothesized that symbolic threat, realistic threat, anxiety, and negative stereotyping would predict more punitive views on all outcome measures, while positive stereotyping would predict more favorable attitudes. The study recruited 175 U.S. adults through Amazon Mechanical Turk. In regression analyses, symbolic threat corresponded with more punitive attitudes on all dependent measures except pro-immigration attitudes. Realistic threat predicted punitive general policy and lower pro-immigration attitudes. Anxiety predicted harsher views on general and Mexico-specific policies. Stereotyping showed evidence of unique predictive effects: negative stereotyping predicted punitive views on general and Mexico-specific policies, while positive stereotyping was linked to more favorable pro-immigration attitudes and support for providing resources in detention (and marginally less punitive general policy views). Exploratory structural equation modeling revealed that only symbolic threat predicted general and Mexico-specific policy attitudes and only positive stereotyping predicted views on resources in detention. The present research highlights the nuanced ways in which intergroup threat perceptions, including positive stereotypes, are associated with immigration attitudes.