Prejudice towards Muslims in The Netherlands: Testing integrated threat theory

TLDR

The study investigates Dutch adolescents’ prejudice toward Muslims using integrated threat theory. The authors modeled how in‑group identification, intergroup contact, and endorsement of multiculturalism influence prejudice via perceived symbolic and realistic threat and negative stereotypes. Half of the adolescents harbored negative feelings toward Muslims, and structural equation modeling revealed that stereotypes and symbolic threat—not realistic threat—predicted prejudice, fully mediating the effect of in‑group identification, partially mediating contact, and jointly mediating multiculturalism, while contact and multiculturalism also had direct effects.

Abstract

This study uses integrated threat theory to examine Dutch adolescents’ ( N =1,187) prejudice towards Muslim minorities. One out of two participants was found to have negative feelings towards Muslims. Perceived symbolic and realistic threat and negative stereotypes were examined as mediators between antecedent factors (in‐group identification, intergroup contact, and the endorsement of multiculturalism) and prejudice. Based on structural equation modelling, it was found that stereotypes and symbolic threats, but not realistic threats, predicted prejudice towards Muslims. Further, it was found that the effect of in‐group identification on prejudice was fully mediated by symbolic threat, the effect of contact was partially mediated by stereotypes, and the effect of the endorsement of multiculturalism was mediated by both symbolic threat and stereotypes. In addition, contact and multiculturalism were directly associated with prejudice towards Muslims. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.