The purpose of this study was to examine whether adolescents’ self-identification with peer crowds at school was related to their attitudes towards immigrants. The study was based on a sample of Swedish adolescents (N = 905; Mage = 14.08, SD = .95). The findings revealed that affiliation with particular peer crowds at school was linked to tolerant attitudes towards immigrants. Specifically, it was found that when adolescents perceived themselves as a part of Radical or Mainstream peer crowds they tend to have higher tolerance towards immigrants. At the same time, no significant effects were found with regard to adolescents who perceived themselves to belong to peer crowds within Counterculture. Furthermore, no significant links were found between affiliation with peer crowds and prejudice towards immigrants. The results of the study suggest that tolerance and prejudice should be studied as separate constructs, and highlights the important role of peer crowds as potential determinants of attitudes towards immigrants. / Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka huruvida ungdomars subgrupperingar spelade roll när det kom till ungdomars attityder gentemot invandrare. Studien baserades på ett urval av svenska ungdomar (N = 905; Mage = 14.08, SD = .95).   I studien upptäcktes att ungdomars subgrupperingar i skolan var länkat till tolerans gentemot invandrare. Specifikt, så upptäcktes att ungdomar som såg sig själv inom subgrupperingarna Radical och Mainstream tenderade att ha högre tolerans. Samtidigt så fanns det inga signifikanta effekter att hitta när det kom till ungdomar som såg sig själv tillhöra subgrupperingen Counterculture. Vidare så upptäcktes inga signifikanta relationer mellan ungdomars subgrupperingar och fördomsfullhet gentemot invandrare. Resultatet av studien föreslår att tolerance och prejudice borde studeras som två separata termer, och lyfter fram vikten av ungdomars subgrupperingar som potentiella faktorer kring attityder gentemot invandrare.

Peer crowd affiliation (PCA) has been linked to alcohol use in adolescents, with patterns varying by crowd. However, a comprehensive examination of how peers influence college students’ behaviors, especially with regards to PCA, is lacking. The current study seeks to replicate and extend findings from Barber, Eccles, and Stone (2001) by examining whether high school PCA is associated with average weekly drinking and problematic drinking in a sample of college freshman, including friends’ drinking as a potential mediator and susceptibility to peer influence as a potential moderator. As existing research has found that close friends’ drinking predicts own drinking, peer influence may be the mechanism by which PCA is associated with alcohol use and problems in college. College students (N = 490) completed questionnaires assessing high school PCA, problematic drinking, and alcohol use habits among 3 close college friends, as well as a life history calendar of alcohol use. Hypotheses were tested using Preacher & Hayes bootstrapping mediation approach and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results indicated positive associations between affiliation with Popular or Jock crowds and weekly and problematic drinking in college, and negative associations for affiliation with the Brain crowd. Support for mediation by friends’ alcohol use was found.

In this study, the relation between peer crowd identification and indoor tanning behavioral tendencies was examined. Participants were 174 undergraduate students at a large university in the USA. Results indicated peer crowd identification was significantly associated with indoor artificial UV tanning behavioral tendencies (attitudes, normative beliefs, past year use and intentions) independent of gender and skin type. Participants who identified with the popular peer crowd were at the greatest risk for indoor tanning UV exposure while identification with the brain crowd was protective against such behavior. The findings are discussed in terms of implications for future skin cancer intervention efforts.