Support for rights of Syrian refugees in Turkey: The role of secondary transfer effects in intergroup contact

Abstract

This study explored the role of secondary transfer effects (STEs) to test whether and how contact between advantaged Turks and disadvantaged Kurds may shape support for the rights of Syrian refugees. We investigated whether dimensions of contact, positive versus negative, between a historically advantaged group (Turks, n = 300) and a disadvantaged group (Kurds, n = 127), extend to a novel disadvantaged outgroup (Syrian refugees) via attitude generalization and as a function of the perceived threat from the novel outgroup. Controlling for the effects of contact with Syrian refugees, findings show that both positive and negative contacts with the primary outgroups are associated with support for policies benefiting the secondary outgroup, Syrian refugees, but these associations are moderated by perceived threats posed by the secondary outgroup. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research on secondary transfer processes of contact and for research on multiple group contexts. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.