Five Observations on Five Years of Contact Hypothesis Research

I offer five observations on the state of contact hypothesis research five years after the publication of The Contact Hypothesis Re-evaluated. First, Rigorous field experiments have proliferated, and they often find conflicting, disappointing results. Second, to explain those conflicting results, I propose a theory of multiple forms of prejudice, some of which are amenable to contact and some of which are not. Third, light touch interventions are appropriate for light prejudices. Fourth, assimilation is an undertheorized moderator of contact. Fifth, we would still benefit from more systematic tests of Gordon Allport’s moderating conditions: shared goals, cooperation, equal status, and institutional support.