When minorities clash: The role of intergroup contact, threat, and perceived discrimination in mutual attitudes of the Roma and Ukrainian Refugees

Research on intergroup contact and outgroup attitudes has primarily focused on majority-minority relations, leaving interminority relations underexplored. Following conflict between Czech Roma and Ukrainian refugees, this study (N Roma = 136, N Ukrainians = 139) examined how positive or negative direct and mass-mediated contact between the two minorities, as well as direct contact with the majority, were associated with the minorities’ mutual and majority-directed attitudes, with perceived threat and discrimination as mediators. Positive (vs. negative) direct contact with the other minority was linked to more positive (vs. negative) attitudes, mediated by perceived threat. Majority-directed attitudes were positively associated with positive direct contact with the majority and negatively associated with the negative direct contact with the majority and positive mass-mediated contact with the other minority. Positive mass-mediated contact with the other minority and negative direct contact with the majority related to perceived discrimination. Findings are discussed in the context of a growing multicultural Czech society.