Beyond Intergroup Relations: The Tertiary Transfer Effect of Intergroup Contact on Pro-Environmental Behavioral Intentions / Más allá de las relaciones intergrupales: el efecto de transferencia terciaria del contacto intergrupal sobre las intenciones de comportamiento proambiental

Abstract

This study explores whether experiences of intergroup contact are linked to pro-environmental behavioral intentions through the mediating effects of SDO-D and SDO-E as dimensions of social dominance orientation (SDO), thereby reflecting the tertiary transfer effect of contact. The study involved 778 participants from Turkey who identified with a Turkish ethnic identity (ingroup) and reported their quantity and quality of contact with people identifying with a Kurdish ethnic identity, along with their levels of SDO-Dominance, SDO-Anti-egalitarianism, and pro-environmental behavioral intentions. Consistent with the tertiary transfer effect hypothesis, contact quality was found to associate negatively with both SDO-E and SDO-D. Additionally, this study confirms the power of the tertiary transfer effect through the association of intergroup contact and pro-environmental behavioral intentions. SDO-E partially mediated the relationship existing between quality of contact and intentions to act pro-environmentally. This study enriches the literature by validating the association of intergroup contact and environment-related variables within a non-Western sociopolitical setting.