Attitudes toward Immigration as a Sense of Group Position

ABSTRACT

Research on prejudice has historically employed Blumer’s group position as a theoretical alternative to Allport’s group conflict in understanding prejudice against members of minority groups. Our purpose in this study is to extend the theoretical parameters of group position into the domain of immigration by defining prejudice in terms of non-immigrant Americans versus immigrants. We find cultural identity threat and subjective economic threat are more significant in informing attitudes toward immigration than objective economic threat. This finding is consistent with and confirms Blumer’s argument that prejudice as a sense of group position is primarily derived from feelings, and is therefore subjective in nature.

KEYWORDS:

• Immigration
• Prejudice
• Blumer
• Group Position
• Attitudes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Abdi M. Kusow

Abdi M. Kusow is a Professor of Sociology at Iowa State University. His resaerch appear in Symbolic Interaction, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Journal of International Migration and Integration, Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World., and The Sociological Quarterly. One of his most recent articles, “Formula Narratives and the Making of Social Stratification and Inequality” Sociology of Race and Ethnicity 2015: 1 (3): 409-423, won the 2015 David Maines Narrative Research Award. He is co-editor of the Journal of Somali Studies (JoSS).

Matt DeLisi

Matt DeLisi is Coordinator of Criminal Justice Studies, Iowa State University Distinguished Professor, and Faculty Affiliate of the Center for the Study of Violence at Iowa State University. Professor DeLisi is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Criminal Justice and Fellow of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.