Australian Attitudes Toward Asylum Seekers: Roles of Dehumanization and Social Dominance Theory

Citations Over TimeTop 10% of 2015 papers

Abstract

We employed a theoretical model of dehumanization to identify the factors influencing attitudes toward asylum seekers within an Australian context. Specifically, we hypothesized that Australians high in social dominance orientation (SDO) would be more likely than those low in SDO to dehumanize asylum seekers. Participants ( N = 311) completed an online survey designed to assess SDO, their attitudes and emotions toward asylum seekers, and their tendency to engage in dehumanization. Results indicated that the model can be successfully applied to an Australian context and that dehumanization played a significant role in influencing our participants' attitudes toward asylum seekers. Findings are discussed in terms of future research as well as policy implications for Australian immigration issues.

Related Papers

• → Social Dominance Orientation, Hierarchy Attenuators and Hierarchy Enhancers: Social Dominance Theory and the Criminal Justice System(1994)243 cited
• → Australian Attitudes Toward Asylum Seekers: Roles of Dehumanization and Social Dominance Theory(2015)36 cited
• → The Dirty Side of Work: Biologization of Physically Tainted Workers(2019)20 cited
• → Enlarging the victim’s perspective on dehumanization(2023)4 cited
• → Introduction to the Special Issue of Group Processes & Intergroup Relations Less than Human: What People who are Dehumanized Think, Feel, and Do(2022)3 cited