U svrhu boljeg razumijevanja dinamike međugrupnih odnosa te mogućnosti unaprjeđenja odnosa među grupama u zajednici, u ovom istraživanju su ispitane neke odrednice međugrupnih stavova koje su u podlozi etničkih predrasuda. Teorijsko polazište rada je temeljeno na integriranom pristupu istraživanja predrasuda koje uključuje pretpostavke da predrasude ovise o emocijama i motivaciji, da proizlaze iz ideoloških uvjerenja te da su pod utjecajem individualnih razlika. Pod tim vidom, ispitan je doprinos različitih dispozicijskih, identitetnih i situacijskih čimbenika u objašnjavanju predrasuda prema pripadnicima nacionalnih manjina u Hrvatskoj. Cilj ovoga istraživanja bio je ispitati samostalni i zajednički doprinos dispozicija pojedinca (autoritarnosti i orijentacije na socijalnu dominaciju) i identitetnih mjera (tri oblika nacionalne vezanosti: nacionalnog identiteta, nacionalizma i kozmopolitizma) u predviđanju otvorenih i prikrivenih predrasuda prema pripadnicima nacionalnih manjina u Hrvatskoj, te medijatorsku/ moderatorsku ulogu percepcije međugrupne prijetnje kao ključnog situacijskog čimbenika. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 684 studenata prve godine preddiplomskog studija na sastavnicama Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, odabranih metodom višeetapnog klasternog uzorkovanja. Sudionici su ispunjavali upitnik koji se sastojao od uobičajeno korištenih i nekih novokonstruiranih skala za mjerenje ispitivanih konstrukata. Kvazieksperimentalnim nacrtom je ispitan učinak percipirane međugrupne prijetnje na iskazivanje etničkih predrasuda, tako da su sudionici iz intervencijske grupe čitali tekst, koji je imao za svrhu intenzivirati doživljaj prijetnje prema pripadnicima nacionalnih manjina, prije nego što su procjenjivali svoje stavove prema pripadnicima nacionalnih manjina. Usporedna grupa nije bila izložena ovoj intervenciji. Rezultati analize strukturalnih odnosa među varijablama pokazali su da se otvorene predrasude prema pripadnicima nacionalnih manjina mogu u značajnoj mjeri objasniti korištenim prediktorskim mjerama, pri čemu su orijentacija na socijalnu dominaciju i percipirana međugrupna prijetnja jedini čimbenici koji imaju značajan direktni doprinos. S druge strane, prikrivene predrasude prema pripadnicima nacionalnih manjina se ne mogu dobro objasniti pomoću korištenih mjera. Samo orijentacija na socijalnu dominaciju i odsustvo kozmopolitizma pokazuju neznatan direktni učinak. Utvrđen je značajan medijacijski učinak percipirane međugrupne prijetnje u odnosu između dispozicijskih i identitetnih čimbenika te otvorenih predrasuda prema pripadnicima nacionalnih manjina, pri čemu je utvrđena potpuna medijacija u odnosu između nacionalizma i autoritarnosti te otvorenih predrasuda, kao i djelomična medijacija u odnosu između orijentacije na socijalnu dominaciju i otvorenih predrasuda. Budući da manipulacija međugrupnom prijetnjom nije proizvela razlike između intervencijske i usporedbe grupe, nije utvrđen značajan moderirajući učinak percipirane prijetnje. Dobiveni rezultati predstavljaju dopunu prethodnih istraživanja budući da pokazuju kako je za predviđanje predrasuda potrebno uzeti u obzir više različitih obilježja vezanih uz pojedince i kontekst međugrupnih odnosa. Važan doprinos istraživanja jest nalaz da uobičajeno korišteni prediktori etničkih predrasuda nisu prikladni za predviđanje prikrivenih oblika predrasuda.Introduction
Prejudice and discrimination toward minority groups are well known factors that may destabilize intergroup relations. Previous research has shown relative importance of personality and social factors as determinants of prejudice but most of research has tested their partial contribution. This is why the present research explores relative contributions of some relevant antecedents of ethnic prejudice. The aim of this research was to test a theoretical model for predicting prejudice toward national minorities in Croatia, assuming that dispositions, identity and situational factors would have important direct and indirect effects on prejudice. By integrating concepts from several theoretical frameworks that emphasizes role of motivation, emotion and ideology in explaining prejudice, we explored the role of right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, three forms of national attachment – national identity, nationalism and cosmopolitism, and perception of intergroup threat in relation to two forms of prejudice toward national minorities in Croatia - subtle and blatant. Moderating and mediating role of perception of intergroup threat in relation between dispositional factors (right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation) and identity factors (national
identity, nationalism and cosmopolitism), and prejudice toward national minorities was also explored.
Methodology
The data was gathered on a multistage cluster sample of 684 undergraduate students of University of Zagreb, using a self-assessment questionnaire that included several Likert type scales for measuring each construct. Moderation effect of intergroup threat on ethnic prejudice was tested by using quasi-experimental research design. Participants in intervention group read a text that had purpose to emphasize perception of threat toward members of ethnic minorities, before they assess their attitudes toward them. Participants in comparative group were not exposed to this intervention. Results We tested theoretical model for predicting prejudice toward national minorities, using the structural equation modelling technique for analysis of the relations between predictors and criteria variables. Analysis of the relations between latent variables has shown that blatant prejudice toward national minorities can be explained with dispositions, identity and situational factors, while this was not the case for the subtle form of prejudice. Social dominance orientation and perception of symbolic intergroup threat were the only predictors that had significant direct effect on blatant prejudice, whereas authoritarianism and three forms of national attachment (national identity, nationalism and cosmopolitism) did
not have a direct effect, on this form of prejudice toward national minorities. Authoritarianism, nationalism and social dominance orientation had a significant indirect effect on blatant prejudice toward national minorities via perception of intergroup threat. Subtle form of prejudice could not be explained significantly with this predictor set. Only social dominance orientation and anti-cosmopolitan orientation have had a weak direct effect. As expected, perception of symbolic intergroup threat mediated significantly the relations between dispositions and identity factors and blatant prejudice. Namely, intergroup threat fully mediated relations between authoritarianism and nationalism, and blatant prejudice toward national minorities. Intergroup threat also partially mediated relation between social dominance orientation and blatant prejudice toward national minorities. Moderation effect of intergroup threat did not prove to be significant, because the
experimental manipulation was not successful.
Conclusion
The results mostly support findings from previous research that emphasizes the role of dispositions and specific context of intergroup relations in explaining prejudice. The present research has shown that prediction of prejudice toward national minorities should include consideration of different predictors so we can analyze their relative impact on prediction. For example, previous research has shown that nationalism, or authoritarianism should be considered as fundamental antecedents of prejudice, but in the present study, the intergroup threat has diminished both of their direct effect on blatant prejudice. In addition, this research has shown that, in comparison to blatant prejudice, subtle prejudice are truly different form of ethnic prejudice, while none of the predictors has shown significant direct effect on them. These finding should encourage future researchers to examine impact of some other individual or contextual factors that could contribute to understanding dynamics of these form of prejudice. Considering importance of studying intergroup relations between majority and minorities in society in this historical period of massive migration in Europe, we consider our findings relevant for better understanding of dynamics of disturbed intergroup relations. Our results show that blatant prejudice towards minority can be mainly explained with higher level of perceived symbolic intergroup threat and social dominance orientation, so practical implications of these results can be in promoting tolerance toward national minorities by reducing perceived cultural intergroup threat and changing attitudes that encourages social inequality and group hierarchy
