The family transmission of prejudice toward immigrants. The mediating role of adolescents’ self-transcendence and conservation values

Abstract

ABSTRACT While research on the transmission of prejudice toward immigrants within the family is increasing, it remains scarce. Many studies have explored the role of different mediators in the relationship between parents’ and children’s prejudice (e.g. ideology, empathy), but little empirical research has considered the role of values, despite their strong link with prejudice, especially in their dimensions of conservation and self-transcendence. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between parents’ subtle and blatant prejudice toward immigrants and their adolescent children’s prejudice, by considering adolescents’ values as possible mediating mechanisms. A sample of 473 Italian parent–adolescent dyads without an immigration background were involved. Adolescents were aged between 12 and 18 years, parents were between 31 and 68 years. All participants completed the Prejudice Scale; adolescents also completed the subscales of conservation and self-transcendence values from the Portrait Values Questionnaire-21. The results showed a significant association between parents’ and adolescents’ blatant prejudice that was partly mediated by adolescents’ self-transcendence values. Parents’ blatant prejudice was also related to adolescents’ subtle prejudice via self-transcendence. Conservation did not act as a mediator in the intergenerational transmission of prejudice toward immigrants. The findings of the study, limitations, and practical implications are discussed.