The effects of potential benefit on support for reparations for intergroup harm.

As citizen support is often key in compelling governments to provide reparations, it is important to understand the predictors of citizen support. In two studies, we examined whether and how considering the potential benefits rather than costs of providing reparations affected support for an official government apology and financial compensation. All participants were White Canadian undergraduates, who learned about a previously displaced outgroup community; the community was Black in Study 1, and in Study 2, the community was Black or Indigenous. When the community was Black, participants in the benefit conditions were more supportive of the government providing reparations, because they perceived more benefit to doing so and experienced more empathy; this indirect effect was significant for both types of reparations in Study 1, but only financial reparations in Study 2. When the community was Indigenous, considering the benefits of reparations did not impact support for reparations. We discuss implications for theory and social change. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Source: Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research