In 2015, Sweden faced a significant influx of asylum-seeking refugees, leading to notable shifts in political and public attitudes. Previous research suggests that sociopsychological factors, such as group-related attitudes, significantly influence these attitudes. Perspective-taking exercises have been shown to promote social inclusion as well as correcting misperceptions can improve attitudes toward immigrants. This paper explores the mechanisms behind anti-immigrant sentiment by evaluating the impact of a workshop by the Swedish Red Cross Youth Association, “On the Run”, which combines perspective-taking exercises with education about refugees’ current day situation. The study measures the workshop's effect on participating high school students' by randomly assigning individuals to pre- and post-workshop survey response groups within classes and comparing the groups measured attitudes. Data from 346 Swedish students across 17 work- shops in seven cities were analyzed using an ordered probit model. While the workshop did not lead to statistically significant effects on overall attitudes, there were positive outcomes indicating that participants showed slightly more favorable attitudes towards refugees, particularly regard- ing cultural factors. Participating in the workshop significantly increased the likelihood that participants believe Sweden accepts too few refugees. Conversely, there was a significant decrease in support for financial assistance to refugees during their asylum process. These findings under- score the complexity of influencing attitudes through short-term interventions and highlight the importance of considering demographic factors. This research contributes to understanding the nuanced effects of perspective-taking exercises on political and cultural attitudes toward refugees.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-534023 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Cavelier Bizas, Aliki |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Nationalekonomiska institutionen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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