The Longitudinal Effects of Intergroup Contact on Youth Attitudes Towards Ethnic Minorities and Constructive Societal Engagement

Growing empirical evidence demonstrates that intergroup contact has the potential to reap effects that go beyond prejudice reduction. Much of this evidence, however, is based on findings from cross-sectional surveys. Building on the relatively smaller body of longitudinal intergroup contact research, we conduct a three-time point survey amongst youth in Northern Ireland to determine whether frequent and good-quality interactions with ethnic minority groups are associated with later reports on: (1) attitudes towards ethnic minorities, (2) prosocial behaviour towards ethnic minorities, and (3) civic engagement. Data were collected over the period of a school year amongst youth living in Belfast (n = 420, Mage; T1 = 14.9 years) and analysed using longitudinal path analyses and structural equation models in Mplus. Results demonstrate a lagged effect of higher-quality contact on more positive attitudes towards ethnic minorities over the school year. There was also a lagged effect of more frequent contact on self-reported prosocial behaviour in support of ethnic minorities. No lagged effects were observed of intergroup contact on civic engagement. Findings highlight the potential longitudinal effects of intergroup contact on attitudes and behaviours towards ethnic minorities.