Browsing by Author "Luden, Michael Kyle"

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    Intergroup contact and collective action intentions among white South African students
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03-04) Luden, Michael Kyle; Swart, Hermann; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Department of Psychology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Social inequality is a reality in South Africa, which can have adverse consequences for disadvantaged-group members, such as poor health outcomes, increased dropout rates in higher education, and social unrest. One way in which social inequalities can be addressed is for disadvantaged-group members to participate in collective action to force conversation, debate, and change. However, this comes with challenges that include resistance from advantagedgroup members who may perceive social change as a threat to the status quo. Collective action at South African universities has become a common occurrence, with students from disadvantaged groups calling for greater social equality and inclusivity. The present study explores this in the Stellenbosch University context and considers factors that might encourage advantaged-group members to support disadvantaged-group members in the pursuit of positive social change. Given the limited South African data on the relationship between intergroup contact and collective action intentions (and the emotional and cognitive mediators thereof), the present study employed a cross-sectional design using self-report survey data to investigate the relationship between intergroup contact and collective action intentions among a convenience sample of white South African students (N = 450) studying at Stellenbosch University. The primary aim of the present study was to investigate whether general experiences of intergroup contact with black (African) South Africans in general are associated with the behavioural intention to distribute flyers advocating for racial justice and social equality in support of black (African) South Africans at Stellenbosch University. The secondary aim was to investigate whether context-specific experiences of intergroup contact with black (African) South Africans at Stellenbosch University, specifically, would similarly be associated with the behavioural intention to distribute flyers advocating for racial justice and social equality in support of black (African) South Africans at Stellenbosch University. Findings from the present study demonstrate a positive indirect association between general and context-specific experiences of intergroup contact with black (African) South Africans and context-specific behavioural intentions among white South Africans at Stellenbosch University via the serial mediation of empathy, collective guilt, and collective action intentions. These findings highlight a unique mediational pathway that might explain how white South Africans come to engage in collective action in support of black (African) South Africans. Furthermore, the findings of the present study provide additional support for the relevance of intergroup contact as a social intervention for mobilising advantaged-group members to action in support of the disadvantaged.