Multicultural attitudes mediate the relation between personality and perceived ethnic outgroup distance in the Netherlands

•We tested if multiculturalism mediates personality-outgroup distance relation.•We found support for this mediation model in both Dutch immigrant and majority groups.•Groups higher in the ethnic hierarchy score lower on multicultural attitudes.•Immigrants do not differ from majority group members in perceived outgroup distance.•Ethnic hierarchy has an impact on multiculturalism-outgroup distance relation.

We focus in the current study on associations between personality, multicultural attitudes, and perceived ethnic outgroup distance in the Netherlands. Data were collected among four different ethnic groups (from low to high in terms of ethnic hierarchy): Turkish/Moroccan-Dutch, Antillean/Surinamese-Dutch, Mixed Western immigrants, and Dutch majority group members. We found support for a mediation model in which in all groups multicultural attitudes mediate the relation between personality traits, education level, and age as antecedents, and outgroup distance as outcome; age was the only antecedent that also had a direct effect on outcome. Education was positively related to multiculturalism in the groups high in the hierarchy and unrelated in the groups low in the hierarchy. The association between multicultural attitudes and outgroup distance was negative and stronger for the groups higher in the ethnic hierarchy; hierarchy was unrelated to outgroup distance. Groups higher in the hierarchy scored lower on multicultural attitudes. It was concluded that multicultural attitudes and outgroup distance are important for understanding intergroup dynamics in ethnically diverse societies.