How Economic Threat Shapes Contact Intentions toward Refugees: The Buffering Role of Religion-Based Superordinate Identity and Moral Emotions

Abstract

This study investigates how heightened economic threats influence positive and negative moral emotions toward Syrians and individuals' willingness to interact with Syrian refugees in Türkiye. It also examines these effects through the mediating role of superordinate religious identity and the moderating role of socioeconomic status. In Study 1 (N = 298), participants were randomly assigned to read either an economic threat text or a neutral text. The results revealed no significant difference in contact intentions between the experimental and control groups. Negative emotions were negatively associated with contact intentions, whereas superordinate religious identity showed a positive association. Due to the limited effectiveness of the experimental manipulation, an exploratory model was tested. Results showed that perceptions of superordinate religious identity reduced negative emotions about Syrians living in Türkiye, which, in turn, increased contact intentions. Notably, this positive indirect effect was stronger among individuals with lower socioeconomic status, while no such moderated mediation was found for positive emotions. Study 2 (N = 440) employed a correlational design and aimed to conceptually replicate these findings. The results confirmed the indirect effect of superordinate religious identity via reduced negative emotions, additionally showing a significant indirect effect of positive emotion, but did not replicate the moderator role of socio-economic status. Findings suggest that positive and negative emotions might play an important role in addressing prejudice against Syrian refugees in Türkiye. The study emphasizes the critical role of superordinate identity in shaping attitudes toward refugees and offers insights for developing targeted interventions.