The Relationships of Intergroup Contact to Social Identity and Political Consciousness

Abstract

The impact of three forms of intergroup contact (Mexican descent, other minority, and Anglo) on the social identities and political attitudes of a national sample of native-born persons of Mexican descent was examined. Cast within Tajfel's Social Identity theory, the various social contexts were expected to predict three distinct types of ethnic identity: Cultural Ethnicity (Ingroup contact), Politicized Ethnicity (Ingroup and Minority Outgroup contact), and Assimilationist Ethnicity (Anglo contact). Contrasting political orientations were also predicted for the types of contact, with group-conscious attitudes associated with Ingroup and Minority Outgroup contacts and conservative political attitudes with A nglo contact. Support is provided for the expected relationships between Ingroup and Minority Outgroup interactions and identity and political attitudes. Anglo contact was related to conservative political attitudes.