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

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

doi:10.1177/0042098015598730

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

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

Authors

I. Nielsen

J. Gu

Professor Jason Shachat jason.shachat@durham.ac.uk
Professor

R. Smyth

Y. Peng

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

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Copyright Statement
Nielsen, I. and Gu, J. and Shachat, J. and Smyth, R. and Peng, Y. (2016) 'An experimental study of the effect of intergroup contact on attitudes in urban China.', Urban studies., 53 (14). pp. 2991-3006. Copyright © 2013 Urban Studies Journal Limited. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.