Selective cultural adoption: The roles of warmth, competence, morality and perceived indispensability in majority‐group acculturation

Abstract Psychological research has begun considering the dynamics involved in majority‐group acculturation, which is the extent to which cultural majority groups adopt the culture of immigrants and minority groups. However, previous research has predominantly concentrated on reactions to ‘immigrants’ or ‘minority groups’ as a homogenous entity, overlooking the nuanced perceptions and varied valuations attributed to different groups. Recognizing the heterogeneity among immigrant and minority groups, the present work investigated the influence of several perceived characteristics of immigrant and minority groups on majority‐group members' adoption of their cultures. Specifically, in three pre‐registered studies—one correlational ( N participants = 201, N trials = 2814) and two within‐subjects experimental ( N participants = 144 and 146, N trials = 720 and 730) designs with close to politically representative samples from the U.K. and U.S. —majority‐group members were more willing to adopt immigrant and minority‐group cultures that they perceived as warm, competent and moral because these perceptions made immigrants and minority groups seem indispensable to the identity and economy of the mainstream society. Our studies highlight the importance of considering the differentiated acculturation that majority‐group members have to various groups within the same national context. We discuss the societal and cultural repercussions of this selective uptake of other cultures.