A latent profile analysis of intergroup attitude patterns among four ethnic-cultural minority groups in the Netherlands

Research on intergroup attitudes has focused largely on majority populations, while much less is known about how minority group members view other groups in diverse societies. To help address this gap, we examined the intergroup attitudes of members of four ethnic minority groups in a large, nationally representative survey conducted in the Netherlands ( N = 4028), a country characterized by substantial ethnic diversity. Overall, respondents tended to evaluate both the national majority and their own ethnic group positively. At the same time, evaluations of other minority groups were somewhat less favourable, particularly when those groups were perceived as culturally dissimilar and having a higher societal status. However, this general pattern concealed substantial variation. Using latent profile analysis, we identified five distinct subgroups with markedly different combinations of attitudes toward the national majority, their own group, and other ethnic minorities. In addition, the subgroups varied meaningfully with respect to broader social attitudes and demographic characteristics. Exploratory follow-up analyses suggested that the profiles could be understood largely in terms of how people perceived Dutch society and their feelings of societal belongingness. Taken together, the findings highlight that minority populations are far from uniform in their intergroup views. Rather than a single pattern of attitudes, multiple perspectives coexist. These results underscore the need to pay greater scholarly attention to the diversity of minority viewpoints in increasingly multicultural societies.