Abstract
The project addresses the role of intergroup solidarity as a fundamental process to develop trust in democracy from the perspective of majority and minority groups. In more specific terms, it aims to shed light on the pathways and manifold interrelations between factors facilitating a wide range of solidarity actions such as global citizenship identity, perceived intergroup reciprocity, and multiple categorization of outgroup members in their intertwined effects of solidarity towards stigmatized groups. -The research unit is currently running secondary analyses on cross-cultural samples from the European Social Survey (ESS; 2018/2019 involving majority native people and ethnic minority people across different European countries distinguished by high vs low GINI coefficient. It allows an examination of the influence of wealth inequality on predictors of intergroup solidarity across different countries. Factors such as demographics (i.e., gender, age, political orientation, religion, education, social and economic status) as well as social psychological variables (i.e., group identification, social norms) and contextual factors (i.e., wealth inequality, country immigration rules) are used as possible predictors of solidarity, in terms of support for disadvantaged outgroup members. To examine cognitive and affective factors as facilitators of solidarity in terms of behavioural intentions, including helping behaviour as well as support for collective action to reduce social inequality. -Four further studies are currently run to look at how supportive contact from majority people can work as a fundamental factor of intergroup solidarity in counteracting discrimination toward minority groups such as international students and women. The line of research aims to provide knowledge on the role of intergroup solidarity as a beneficial factor for the inclusion of minority groups in the society.
Results achieved
The Bologna Unit aimed to shed light on the pathways and the manifold interrelations among factors facilitating intergroup contact and solidarity actions such as global citizenship identity, perceived intergroup reciprocity, type of categorization of outgroup members in their intertwined possible effects of solidarity towards discriminated against groups. Besides the difficulties encountered in hiring ad hoc personnel to conduct the planned studies, the UNIBO Unit carried out a study on ESS European Social Survey data to understand at large scale psychosocial variables as antecedents of willingness to get involved in inter-majority solidarity actions among members of majority groups as well as minority groups. Results highlighted the impact of institutional trust as a fundamental factor related to benevolent attitudes toward discriminated against minorities. Moreover, though through the many difficulties encountered first in recruiting research assistants and later in contacting minority members, we set and later we conducted studies on majority (Italians) and minority members (Albanians), to investigate under what conditions group members express willingness to enact intergroup solidarity among ethnic minorities. Findings suggest that under structural injustice, feelings of relative deprivation can be reframed as shared hardship, fostering a sense of common disadvantage. Viewing injustice through the lens of disadvantage (whether minority-related or shared) promotes inclusive attitudes and solidarity with disadvantaged groups, with empathy, anger, and positive intergroup contact emerging as key mediators. (Fino et al., in preparation). Research also showed that negative vs positive contact of majority members leads to heightened linguistic intergroup discrimination that can be regarded as a negative antecedent of intergroup solidarity (Prati et al., 2024). Moreover, in line with the ironic effect, negative contact with the majority as well as being perceived as human being to a lower extent, by majority members, mobilize inter-minority stronger intentions of collective actions to change the status quo, to obtain a more equal status within the society. On the contrary, evidence shows that minorities are able to work in solidarity under the condition of inter-minority positive contact and when they experience injustice (Policardo et al., 2025). Other research shows that under intimate contact when people speak about intergroup differences related to the lower status of immigrants they tend to speak negatively and abstractly of the Italian ingroup. This may imply that they blame their majority group for such intergroup differences, (Rubini et al., (submitted). PUBBLICATIONS: * Prati, F., Policardo, G.R., Hewstone, M. & Rubini, M. (2024). How positive and negative intergroup contact may shape the communication of discrimination towards migrants. Journal of Language and Social Psychology. 43 (3), 273–297. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X241237260 * Policardo, G. R., Prati, F., Burak, C., Van Assche, J., & Rubini, M. (2025). Fostering solidarity among ethnic minority groups: Addressing the role of inter-minority contact in cross-cultural contexts. International Review of Social Psychology, 38, 14. https://doi.org/10.5334/irsp.1096 * Prati, F., Cayir, B., Van Assche, J., & Rubini, M (in press). The heaviness of advantaged members’ judgement: The role of meta-dehumanization and relative deprivation on ethnic minority members’ collective action. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. DOI: 10.1111/jasp.70056 * Rubini, M., Coelho, F., Boggia, C., & Prati, F. (submitted) Talking about Intergroup Similarity and Difference with Immigrants in the context of Imagined Superficial and Intimate Contact. * Fino, E., Tarò, F., Prati, F., & Rubini, M. (maniscript in preparation). When Disadvantage Unites: Factors influencing solidarity actions towards immigrants among majority and minority groups. CONFERENCES: * Prati, F., Cayir, B., Van Assche, J., & Rubini, M. (2024). Quanto pesa la valutazione della maggioranza? Il ruolo della meta-deumanizzazione sul cambiamento sociale. Annual Conference of the Italian Association of Social Psychology, Turin, Italy. * F. Albarello, A. Tesi, D. Di Santo, & M. Rubini (Chair) (2025) Costruire società inclusive: dimensioni e processi socio-psicologici sottesi a pregiudizi, disuguaglianze, rigidità culturali ed ideologiche e a fattori che promuovono l’inclusione sociale [Symposium]. XIX Congresso Nazionale della Sezione di Psicologia Sociale dell’AIP. Bergamo, * Rubini, M., Heering, M. S., Fino, E., & Taro, F. (2025), September, 4th). Atteggiamenti di accettazione degli immigrati come possibili antecedenti della solidarietà verso loro. In F. Albarello, A. Tesi, D. Di Santo, & M. Rubini (Chair), Costruire società inclusive: dimensioni e processi sociopsicologici sottesi a pregiudizi, disuguaglianze, rigidità culturali ed ideologiche e a fattori che promuovono l’inclusione sociale [Symposium]. XIX Congresso Nazionale della Sezione di Psicologia Sociale dell’AIP. Bergamo, Italy. * Rubini, M., Boggia, C., & Prati, F. (2025, June 24th-26th). Talking to immigrants about similar and different intergroup experiences: The role of linguistic abstraction in imagined superficial and intimate contact. Presentation at the 3rd International Symposium on Intergroup Communication, University of Warsaw, Poland. * Rubini, M., & Prati, F. (2025 5-6 giugno 2025). Parlare di Somiglianze e differenze nel Contesto del contatto Intergruppi: Il ruolo dell'astrazione linguistica. Giornata sui processi socio-cognitivi, Università di Trieste, Trieste, Italia. * Rubini, M. (2026, February 20th). Talking about intergroup similarity and difference with immigrants in the context of imagined superficial and intimate contact. In A. Aiello (chair), Final workshop PRIN 2022 PNRR project “Detrimental and beneficial social factors leading to inclusive societies”, Pisa, Italia. * Tarò, F. (2026, February 20th). When disadvantage unites: Factors influencing solidarity actions towards immigrants among majority and minority groups. In A. Aiello (chair), Final workshop PRIN 2022 PNRR project “Detrimental and beneficial social factors leading to inclusive societies”, Pisa, Italia. * Fino, E., Tarò, F., Heering, M. S., Prati, F., & Rubini, M. (2026, July 1st-4th). When disadvantage unites: Factors influencing solidarity actions towards immigrants among majority and minority groups. EASP General Meeting, Strasbourg, France. * Rubini, M., Coelho, F., Boggia, C., & Prati, F. (2026, July 1st-4th). Talking to immigrants about similar and different intergroup experiences: Linguistic abstraction in imagined superficial and intimate contact [accepted presentation]. In V. Hoorens & S. Breuckmeller (Chair). The power of language in intergroup contexts: How generalization, abstraction, and comparative framing shape stereotypes, representations of intergroup inequality, and intergroup contact. Symposium at EASP General Meeting, Strasbourg, France.Dettagli del progetto
Responsabile scientifico: Monica Rubini
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari"
Coordinatore:
"Sapienza" Universita' Di Roma(Italy)
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 97.726,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 24
Data di inizio
30/11/2023
Data di fine:
28/02/2026
