How Pro-contact Norms and Intergroup Anxiety Predict Interest in Intergroup Contact: Similarity and Variability across Outgroups

While intergroup contact is widely recognized for its positive effects on intergroup relations, less is known about predictors of individuals’ interest in engaging in such contact. Across two representative large-scale U.S. surveys (total N = 5,522), we examined how perceived pro-contact community norms and intergroup anxiety relate with interest in intergroup contact across four types of outgroups: ethno-racial, religious, political, and socioeconomic. Both factors emerged as consistent predictors of interest above and beyond what could be predicted by individual difference variables and prior contact. Results also indicate some variation in mean interest scores and predictors of interest across outgroups. Our findings highlight the importance of examining predictors of intergroup contact across multiple outgroups.