Authors:
Kotzur, P. F., Bruns, A., Wagner, U., & van Zalk, M. H. W.
Publication Info:
European Journal of Social Psychology, 2025
First published: 18 November 2025
DOI:
10.1002/ejsp.70036
Abstract
Intergroup contact influences broader perceptions of social reality, including individuals’ fear of crime. Across four studies (N = 1,743), this research examines whether valenced intergroup contact with refugees, conceptualized as a criminally stigmatized group, shapes social fear of crime through the mediating role of prejudice. Study 1 (cross-sectional) and Study 2 (longitudinal) demonstrated an indirect effect of positive contact on reduced social fear of crime via decreased prejudice, as well as an opposite indirect effect for negative contact. Studies 3 and 4 employed experimental designs to test the causal nature of these relationships. While Study 3 did not yield significant mediation effects, Study 4 showed that positive contact reduced social fear of crime through crime-related prejudice towards refugees, but not through prejudice towards homosexual individuals, who are considered a less criminally stigmatized group. These findings provide causal evidence that positive intergroup contact can serve as an intervention strategy to reduce social fear of crime and contribute to the growing literature on transfer effects of intergroup contact.