This dissertation is motivated by the desire to understand the origin of intergrouphostility. One issue that divided many Americans in the 1990s is theissue of immigration. Starting with Proposition 187 in California, a wave ofnativism has raised the concern that diversity leads to polarization in thissociety.
Drawing from theories of inter-group relations, I examine how Americansperceive new immigrants and form preferences on immigration policies. I useempirical data analysis to test whether it was interest conflict and/ or personalprejudice that motivated a wave of legislation for decreased immigration andrestrictions on social welfare payments to immigrants.
With careful differentiation of issues and individuals, I show that mostAmericans use personal prejudice, such as racial stereotypes or egalitarianbeliefs, to form perceptions on immigrants, independent of their views oncurrent economic conditions. Due to the opposite effects exerted by personalprejudice against racial minorities and traditional values of egalitarianism,most Americans are facing a dilemma in their attitudes toward immigrants.
Yet, attitudes do not translate directly to policy preferences. When presentedwith the choices on public policies, most Americans reveal the rationalside of opinion formation. The referents of economic performance or personaleconomic well being had significant influences on policy preferences. For racialminorities, they even set aside personal sentiment in order to· achieve strategicand long-term interests.
The extensive data analysis in this dissertation is designed to achieve amore important goal. As the controversy between the theory of realistic conflictand the theory of prejudice grows with each new study, I challenge boththeories' assumptions of ubiquity. With survey data complimenting aggregatedata, and national, state, and local data cross-validating each other, Ishow that the very perception of realistic conflict bear the imprint of personalprejudice.
Substantively, this work contributes to the understanding of nativism inthe 1990s. It shows that desegregation and economic progress by minoritygroups can help bridge gaps in this society. Theoretically, I demonstrate thatthe logic of opinion formation is contingent upon the content, context andconsequences of the issue.
