Does negative contact undermine attempts to improve intergroup relations? Deepening the understanding of negative contact and its consequences for intergroup contact research and interventions

Summary

This systematic review examines the joint effects of positive and negative intergroup contact on intergroup relations, challenging assumptions that negative contact necessarily undermines positive outcomes. Through a combination of literature review and new qualitative data from British White and British Asian participants, the authors demonstrate that positive contact is substantially more frequent than negative contact, and that both types typically occur in casual settings such public spaces and workplaces. The paper argues that interventions targeting these everyday spaces may be more effective than structured programmes.

Regional applicability

The study includes primary qualitative research with British participants and directly addresses intergroup relations in the United Kingdom context, making its findings directly applicable to UK policy and practice in community relations, workplace diversity, and public space design.

Key measures

Effects of positive and negative intergroup contact on intergroup relations; frequency and nature of intergroup contact experiences in everyday life; lay definitions of intergroup contact

Outcomes reported

The study reviewed joint effects of positive and negative intergroup contact on intergroup relations, and conducted qualitative research with British White and British Asian participants to understand how lay individuals define and experience intergroup contact in everyday settings. It also examined the relative frequency of positive versus negative intergroup contact experiences.

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