An experimental study of the effect of intergroup contact on attitudes in urban China

Nielsen, I.; Gu, J.; Shachat, J.; Smyth, R.; Peng, Y.

Abstract

A large body of literature attests to the growing social divide between urban residents and rural–urban migrants in China’s cities. This study uses a randomised experiment to test the effect of intergroup contact on attitudes between a group of urban adolescents and a group of rural–urban migrant adolescents. Results showed that intergroup contact in the form of a fun and cooperative puzzle task significantly reduced negative attitudes toward the other group. Implications for desegregated schooling and their broader societal implications in China are discussed.

Citation

Nielsen, I., Gu, J., Shachat, J., Smyth, R., & Peng, Y. (2016). An experimental study of the effect of intergroup contact on attitudes in urban China. Urban Studies, 53(14), 2991-3006. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098015598730

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 23, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Aug 4, 2015
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jun 30, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 7, 2015
• Journal: Urban Studies
• Print ISSN: 0042-0980
• Electronic ISSN: 1360-063X
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 53
• Issue: 14
• Pages: 2991-3006
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098015598730
• Keywords: Attitudes, China, Contact hypothesis, Experimental methods, Intergroup contact.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1405549