Refugee
Prejudice

Asking people to reflect on their own family histories, or imagining the experience of suddenly fleeing home, reduces prejudice towards migrants and could form the basis for a more inclusive dialog in heterogeneous societies.

In a new study conducted over four years, Melina Platas, assistant professor of political science, and co-authors, asked 6,000 respondents for their opinions on refugees and immigrants, while measuring their attitudes towards immigration policies according to the sequencing of the questions asked in the online survey.

The respondents were split in two, with one group being asked to reflect on their own family histories and immigrant story before answering questions about immigrants and immigration policy, and another group being asked to detail their immigrant history after these questions.

They found the group that was asked first about their family histories was supportive of more open immigration policies, and generally expressed less prejudice towards immigrants.

“What we suggest is that when we ask people to recall their own family's history, this is like a form of perspective-taking, or trying to imagine yourself in the shoes of someone else who has a different experience than you,” she said.

Perspective-taking allows people to imagine themselves living the experience of someone else. The researchers found that simply asking someone about their ancestors’ immigration history made them more empathetic towards others.

These results contribute to a nascent body of research suggesting that individuals who possess a shared connection to the migrant experience are more likely to hold positive attitudes toward migrants.

The researchers show across the three studies conducted over two years that even a light-touch treatment can meaningfully shift attitudes. Although Platas concedes that these attitude shifts might not be long-lived, these results show compelling evidence that a family history narrative can shape attitudes toward migrants — suggesting that the power of perspective-taking can extend via family relationships.

Although Platas’ research is focused primarily on the US, the finding can begin to explain attitudes in other countries that are experiencing an influx in immigrants and refugees.

The one caveat in the research is that the US is a relatively young country that prides itself on being an immigrant nation — thus adding an added layer of complexity to the significant portion of Americans who are staunchly anti-immigrant.

The researchers said that short-term changes could be relevant for politicians. Doing so from a public platform, and reminding people of their family histories could lead to a perspective shift in immigrants and refugees, who are moving more than ever before.  This research can help inform policies that could have more lasting changes and shift the discussion away from xenophobia in an increasingly integrated world.