Minorities in Mexico: Stereotypes, discrimination, and contact toward indigenous Mexicans, US immigrants, and Honduran immigrants

Abstract

Mexico is one of the most diverse countries with numerous social minorities such as indigenous Mexicans, but also immigrants coming from countries so different like Honduras or the United States (US). The relationship between stereotypes about minorities and perceived threat has been extensively studied; however, it has not been tested whether such a relationship varies according to the target evaluated. We compared the stereotypes of Mexicans toward indigenous Mexicans, US immigrants, and Honduran immigrants, and analyzed their relationship with perceived threat, perceived discrimination, and quantity of contact. Six hundred and thirty-five Mexican participants (62.5% female, Mage = 29.07) answered an online questionnaire reporting their stereotypes of (im)morality, sociability, and competence of the outgroup (i.e., indigenous Mexicans, US immigrants, or Honduran immigrants), and of the ingroup (Mexican majority), perceived threat and discrimination of the three minorities, and their quantity of contact with them. Results showed that indigenous Mexicans were the best-evaluated group in all stereotype dimensions, and were considered the least threatening and the most discriminated group. Perceived (im)morality of US and especially of Honduran immigrants was associated with perceptions of realistic threat, but this association was not sustained when evaluating indigenous Mexicans. Our findings may contribute to understanding the complexity when evaluating different minorities in Mexico and some of the psychosocial processes involved.