Psychosocial Determinants of Negative Attitudes Toward Immigrants: The Mediating Role of Social Dominance Orientation and Perceived Threat.

BACKGROUND: Negative attitudes toward immigrants represent an important psychosocial and public mental health issue, particularly in countries hosting large immigrant and displaced populations such as Türkiye. Understanding the ideological, cognitive, and contextual factors underlying these attitudes is essential for developing effective social and mental health interventions. AIMS: This study aimed to examine the relationship between social dominance orientation (SDO) and negative attitudes toward Syrian immigrants, and to investigate the mediating role of perceived threat in this association. Additionally, the associations between anti-immigrant attitudes and contextual factors, including contact with Syrians, economic vulnerability, perceptions of immigrant population size, and media consumption, were explored. METHOD: Data were collected via an online survey from 576 participants in Türkiye. Participants completed measures assessing negative attitudes toward immigrants, social dominance orientation, and perceived threat. Information regarding contact with Syrians, economic vulnerability, perceived proportion of immigrants in the population, and media consumption patterns was also obtained. Mediation and correlational analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Social dominance orientation was significantly associated with negative attitudes toward Syrian immigrants; however, this relationship was largely mediated by perceived threat. Perceived threat emerged as the strongest predictor of anti-immigrant attitudes. Greater contact with Syrians was associated with lower levels of negative attitudes, whereas higher economic vulnerability, overestimation of the immigrant population, and exposure to multiple media sources were associated with more negative attitudes. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that negative attitudes toward immigrants are shaped by the interplay of ideological orientations, cognitive appraisals, and contextual factors, with perceived threat playing a central role. These results highlight the importance of multidimensional intervention strategies targeting threat perceptions and cognitive distortions to reduce anti-immigrant attitudes and promote social cohesion.