Identifying developmental patterns in intergroup contact and its relation with bias is crucial for improving prevention strategies around intergroup relations. This study applied time-varying effects modeling (TVEM) to examine age-based changes in relations between contact and bias in a divided community that included 667 youth (M age = 15.74, SD…

Comparative studies of European social policy have pointed to significant differences with respect to the way in which diversity is valued and understood, contrasting nations that have adopted strongly compulsory and integrationist policies with others that have pursued more voluntary and pluralistic approaches. Within the higher education sector…

The contact hypothesis, initially formulated in 1954 to delineate conditions conducive to addressing entrenched intergroup differences, has undergone continuous evolution. Originally based on face-to-face interactions, it began incorporating virtual contact from 2006 (Amichai-Hamburger & McKenna). The subsequent proliferation of blended…

This article specifically analyzes the negative impact exerted by angry youth and spoofers on the construction of a harmonious society from four aspects: the way these intensify social contradictions, affect the social mentality, undermine mainstream values, and interfere with freedom of speech. It purports that importance must be attached to the…

The present paper, drawing from the perspective of social cognition, examines and evaluates an intervention based on social-cognitive perspective-taking on the reduction of stereotyping and prejudice in older adults. Data were collected in a sample of Spanish participants with a mean age of 63.2 years. The intervention, aimed at reducing prejudice…

This study examines religious differences in attitudes toward divorce laws among U.S. adults. Using pooled data from the 2000-2006 NORC General Social Surveys (N = 5,683), we find that frequency of religious attendance and belief that the Bible is the Word of God are strong predictors of support for stricter laws governing divorce. Indeed, these…

Unique cross-national data on adolescents' civic skills, knowledge, and political attitudes are used to examine the democratic processes of modern mass schooling, effects of national political systems, and patterns of youth political socialization in 27 nations. Compared to the generally weak reported effects on mathematics and reading…

We examine the effect of educational attainment and income on support for suicide bombing among Muslim publics in six predominantly Muslim countries that have experienced suicide bombings: Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, and Turkey. We make two contributions. First, we present a conceptual model, which has been lacking in the…

This study compared 55 men and 78 women who had same-sex marriages in Massachusetts, 101 men and 120 women who had domestic partnerships in California, and 35 men and 86 women who had civil unions in Vermont, all in 2004. Couples were surveyed on demographic and relationship information, conflict, contact with family of origin, social support,…

In an effort to seek theoretical clarification, a modified version of Rokeach's typology of belief systems is used to examine the evidence for a gap between generations on different levels of beliefs. It appears that writers who have argued that a counterculture is emergin among the younger generation are concentrating on the value orientation…

Examines changes in attitudinal support for the women's liberation movement from 1972-1976. Attitudes in all age groups became more favorable, but shifts were greater among the older members of the panel. The findings provide no support for the notions that attitudes become more conservative with aging. (Author)

Persons from high-ranked colleges are found to be consistently more liberal than those from low and unranked institutions. Most variance in attitudes by education lies between three major educational strata rather than within college educated group. (Author/AM)

A survey examined the degree to which the attitudes of undergraduates diverge from those they impute to their parents and converge with those they impute to their friends. The results showed a surprising degree of agreement with parents, especially in relation to substance abuse and conventional morality. (KH)

Changes in political and social attitudes during college were studied for 303 Ivy League students in their freshman and senior years. Seniors scored higher on measures of liberalism, social conscience, tolerance of homosexuality, and feminist attitudes; they scored lower on male-dominant attitudes. Of particular interest is the increased tolerance…

This paper identifies certain methodological shortcomings that seem to be inherent in much of the comparative generational research and also presents the results of a generational differences study in which these methodological deficiencies have been minimized. People of different ages who had served as VISTA volunteers were asked the same…