Acculturation is a two-way street: Majority–minority perspectives of outgroup acculturation preferences and the mediating role of multiculturalism and threat

A 2 × 2 experimental design investigated the effects of perceived outgroup acculturation preferences on intergroup outcomes for both the Hispanic-minority (N = 50) and European-American-majority (N = 163) in California, USA. Participants read fabricated interviews which manipulated outgroup acculturation preferences for contact (high vs. low) and culture maintenance (high vs. low). For majority participants: Hispanics’ desire for contact strongly predicted positive intergroup emotions and low prejudice; desire for culture maintenance only impacted emotions. These acculturation dimensions interacted, revealing the most favorable intergroup outcomes for the high contact, high culture maintenance condition (integration). Support for multiculturalism, along with realistic threat, mediated these effects. Minority responses differed: for Hispanics, perceived European-Americans’ acculturation preferences did not impact intergroup emotions or prejudice, but their support for multiculturalism did suppress the interaction of acculturation dimensions on intergroup emotions. The acculturation attitude that exemplified American support for multiculturalism differed for majority and minority participants (integration and separation, respectively). Further majority–minority discrepancies were found with a newly developed measure of behavioral investment in acculturation.