Multilingualism and intercultural competence: evidence from a cross-cultural study of empathy, openness, and anxiety

In increasingly globalised societies, the development of multilingualism and intercultural competence (IC) is essential for fostering inclusive communication and social cohesion. While both constructs have been widely studied, less attention has been paid to the role of underlying psychosocial factors that influence their development. This study examines the relationship between language proficiency and IC, focusing specifically on the influence of five key psychosocial variables: ethnocultural empathy, cultural openness, awareness of racism, resentment, and anxiety. A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed with a sample of 710 adult participants from diverse national and linguistic backgrounds that completed the Ethnocultural Empathy Scale. Correlational analyses and independent samples t-tests were conducted to compare multilingual and monolingual participants. Statistically significant differences (p < .001) were found between groups: multilingual individuals demonstrated higher levels of empathy, cultural openness, and racism awareness, and lower levels of anxiety and resentment. Monolingual participants showed elevated scores in the latter two dimensions. Our findings support the conceptualisation of multilingualism as a contributing factor in the development of intercultural competence through its association with key affective and attitudinal variables. The study highlights the importance of integrating language and intercultural education policies that promote both linguistic diversity and socio-emotional competencies in higher education.