Ecological and cultural factors underlying the global distribution of prejudice.
Prejudiced attitudes and political nationalism vary widely around the world, but there has been little research on what predicts this variation. Here we examine the ecological and cultural factors underlying the worldwide distribution of prejudice. We suggest that cultures grow more prejudiced when...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2019-01-01
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Series: | PLoS ONE |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221953 |
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author | Joshua Conrad Jackson Marieke van Egmond Virginia K Choi Carol R Ember Jamin Halberstadt Jovana Balanovic Inger N Basker Klaus Boehnke Noemi Buki Ronald Fischer Marta Fulop Ashley Fulmer Astrid C Homan Gerben A van Kleef Loes Kreemers Vidar Schei Erna Szabo Colleen Ward Michele J Gelfand |
author_facet | Joshua Conrad Jackson Marieke van Egmond Virginia K Choi Carol R Ember Jamin Halberstadt Jovana Balanovic Inger N Basker Klaus Boehnke Noemi Buki Ronald Fischer Marta Fulop Ashley Fulmer Astrid C Homan Gerben A van Kleef Loes Kreemers Vidar Schei Erna Szabo Colleen Ward Michele J Gelfand |
author_sort | Joshua Conrad Jackson |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Prejudiced attitudes and political nationalism vary widely around the world, but there has been little research on what predicts this variation. Here we examine the ecological and cultural factors underlying the worldwide distribution of prejudice. We suggest that cultures grow more prejudiced when they tighten cultural norms in response to destabilizing ecological threats. A set of seven archival analyses, surveys, and experiments (∑N = 3,986,402) find that nations, American states, and pre-industrial societies with tighter cultural norms show the most prejudice based on skin color, religion, nationality, and sexuality, and that tightness predicts why prejudice is often highest in areas of the world with histories of ecological threat. People's support for cultural tightness also mediates the link between perceived ecological threat and intentions to vote for nationalist politicians. Results replicate when controlling for economic development, inequality, conservatism, residential mobility, and shared cultural heritage. These findings offer a cultural evolutionary perspective on prejudice, with implications for immigration, intercultural conflict, and radicalization. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-20T18:53:46Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-e43f5ee0feb443108836becdab13e176 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1932-6203 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-20T18:53:46Z |
publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
record_format | Article |
series | PLoS ONE |
spelling | doaj.art-e43f5ee0feb443108836becdab13e1762022-12-21T19:29:34ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032019-01-01149e022195310.1371/journal.pone.0221953Ecological and cultural factors underlying the global distribution of prejudice.Joshua Conrad JacksonMarieke van EgmondVirginia K ChoiCarol R EmberJamin HalberstadtJovana BalanovicInger N BaskerKlaus BoehnkeNoemi BukiRonald FischerMarta FulopAshley FulmerAstrid C HomanGerben A van KleefLoes KreemersVidar ScheiErna SzaboColleen WardMichele J GelfandPrejudiced attitudes and political nationalism vary widely around the world, but there has been little research on what predicts this variation. Here we examine the ecological and cultural factors underlying the worldwide distribution of prejudice. We suggest that cultures grow more prejudiced when they tighten cultural norms in response to destabilizing ecological threats. A set of seven archival analyses, surveys, and experiments (∑N = 3,986,402) find that nations, American states, and pre-industrial societies with tighter cultural norms show the most prejudice based on skin color, religion, nationality, and sexuality, and that tightness predicts why prejudice is often highest in areas of the world with histories of ecological threat. People's support for cultural tightness also mediates the link between perceived ecological threat and intentions to vote for nationalist politicians. Results replicate when controlling for economic development, inequality, conservatism, residential mobility, and shared cultural heritage. These findings offer a cultural evolutionary perspective on prejudice, with implications for immigration, intercultural conflict, and radicalization.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221953 |
spellingShingle | Joshua Conrad Jackson Marieke van Egmond Virginia K Choi Carol R Ember Jamin Halberstadt Jovana Balanovic Inger N Basker Klaus Boehnke Noemi Buki Ronald Fischer Marta Fulop Ashley Fulmer Astrid C Homan Gerben A van Kleef Loes Kreemers Vidar Schei Erna Szabo Colleen Ward Michele J Gelfand Ecological and cultural factors underlying the global distribution of prejudice. PLoS ONE |
title | Ecological and cultural factors underlying the global distribution of prejudice. |
title_full | Ecological and cultural factors underlying the global distribution of prejudice. |
title_fullStr | Ecological and cultural factors underlying the global distribution of prejudice. |
title_full_unstemmed | Ecological and cultural factors underlying the global distribution of prejudice. |
title_short | Ecological and cultural factors underlying the global distribution of prejudice. |
title_sort | ecological and cultural factors underlying the global distribution of prejudice |
url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221953 |
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