Taking the Good with the Bad: Examining German Citizens’ Rosters of Immigrant Contact

Abstract

The character of an interaction between a citizen and an immigrant can shape outgroup attitudes. Any variety — whether positive or negative — matters, but what if someone accumulates experiences with both? Using data from the 2016 German ALLBUS, this study develops a roster of contact experiences through cross-tabulation, permitting a detailed consideration of the totality and diversity of citizens’ immigrant exposure. Results indicate that most experience frequent positive contact coupled with rare negative experiences. Despite their infrequency within a typical roster, negative experiences are widespread. Both types predict anti-immigrant sentiment in selection-corrected multivariate regressions but in opposing and roughly symmetrical directions. However, their statistical interaction demonstrates that positive contact serves to both buffer against the consequences of negative contact and facilitate prejudice reduction among those experiencing the most negative contact. Overall, the results demonstrate encouragingly that real-world citizen-immigrant interactions in Germany generally take a form that promotes positive intergroup relations.