How Intergroup Contact Shapes Natives’ Attitudes Toward Immigrant Representation in Western European Democracies

Immigrant representation—both descriptive and substantive—is increasingly recognized as crucial to the legitimacy of Western European democracies. While the positive outcomes of political inclusion for minority groups and their attitudes toward it have received significant scholarly attention, research on how strongly the native majority actually supports such inclusion remains scarce. This paper draws on theories of social influence and intergroup contact to explore majority attitudes toward immigrant representation. Using survey data from Germany, Switzerland, and the UK, as well as a survey experiment in Germany, it examines how everyday contact with immigrant-origin individuals shapes support by providing information on the group’s social marginalization and signaling a social norm of supporting immigrant representation. Initial findings reveal considerable variation in support for immigrant representation, with the quality and content of contact playing a key role. The study discusses intergroup contact as a potential antidote to resistance to minority political inclusion in increasingly diverse democratic societies.