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Are newcomers welcomed? Discrimination, social identity, and supportive attitudes towards newcomers’ arrival among immigrants residing in Belgium

par Abboud, Soha ;Politi, Emanuele;Licata, Laurent ;Bady, Zacharia ;Roblain, Antoine
Référence International journal of intercultural relations, 114, page (102456)
Publication Publié, 2026

Article révisé par les pairs

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Résumé :

The increasing diversification of European societies due to immigration presents a complex sociallandscape, marked by both enrichment and the emergence of anti-immigrant sentiments. Whileexisting research has predominantly examined the attitudes of the majority population towardsnewcomers, this study shifts the focus to the under-explored realm of inter-minority inter-grouprelations. Grounded in social identity theory, this study explores how the experience of perceiveddiscrimination within the host society shapes first-generation immigrants' attitudes towards thearrival of new immigrants. We specifically examine the role of two key identity dimensions –identification with both the country of origin and identification with the host country – asmediating factors in this relationship. Furthermore, we investigate how the process of pursuingcitizenship (i.e., the naturalization process) moderates these relationships, influencing howperceived discrimination affects these social identities and, subsequently, attitudes towardnewcomers. Analyzing data from 809 first-generation immigrants in Belgium's Wallonia region,we find that stronger identification with the country of origin is associated with more positiveattitudes toward new arrivals. Furthermore, the naturalization process moderates the associationbetween perceived discrimination and host country identification: immigrants undergoingnaturalization tend to distance themselves from the host country identity when they perceivegreater discrimination, which in turn is associated with less favorable attitudes toward newcomers.These findings highlight the complex interplay of perceived discrimination, socialidentity, and the citizenship acquisition process in shaping inter-group relations within immigrantcommunities, with important implications for integration policies and social cohesion.