The IAFOR Journal of the Social Sciences
Volume 1 – Issue 1 – Winter 2013

The IAFOR Journal of the Social Sciences
Volume 1 – Issue 1 – Winter 2013

The IAFOR Journal of the Social Sciences
Volume 1 – Issue 1 – Winter 2013

Americans’ attitudes toward immigrants can be described as ambivalent. While some
attitudes toward immigrants have been antagonistic, Americans have also espoused beliefs
that the United States is a nation of immigrants and that cultural diversity is one of America’s
foremost strengths. These ambivalent attitudes toward immigrants might be explained by
egalitarianism, which is characterized by social equality and social justice, and the Protestant
Work Ethic (PWE), which is characterized by self-discipline and individual achievement.
Using data collected from a major metropolitan area in the Midwest (n=382), this study
explored two questions: 1) are there any differences in attitudes toward immigrants of
differing ethnic origins? and 2) what are the roles of egalitarianism, PWE, personal, and
impersonal contact in people’s attitude toward immigrants? The results of repeated measures
ANOVA indicated a significant effect of ethnic origin, with European immigrants perceived
most positively and Middle Eastern immigrants least positively. The results of regression
analyses also revealed that egalitarianism was associated with positive general attitudes
toward immigrants and PWE with negative attitudes. Further, close contact was associated
with positive attitudes toward immigrants, whereas impersonal contact did not impact general
attitudes toward immigrants. Implications for intercultural education are discussed.

Keywords: attitudes toward immigrants, contact theory, Protestant


Work Ethic, egalitarianism, immigrants’ race

Andrea Molle