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    Rights statement: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Dixon, J., Tredoux, C., Sturgeon, B., Hocking, B., Davies, G., Huck, J., Whyatt, D., Jarman, N. and Bryan, D. (2020), ‘When the walls come tumbling down’: The role of intergroup proximity, threat, and contact in shaping attitudes towards the removal of Northern Ireland’s peace walls. Br. J. Soc. Psychol. 59 (4) doi:10.1111/bjso.12370 which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjso.12370/abstract This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.

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‘When the walls come tumbling down': The role of intergroup proximity, threat and contact in shaping attitudes towards the removal of Northern Ireland’s peace walls.

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‘When the walls come tumbling down': The role of intergroup proximity, threat and contact in shaping attitudes towards the removal of Northern Ireland’s peace walls. / Dixon, John; Tredoux, Colin; Sturgeon, Brendan et al.
In: British Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 59, No. 4, 01.10.2020, p. 922-944.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Harvard

Dixon, J, Tredoux, C, Sturgeon, B, Hocking, B, Davies, G, Huck, J, Whyatt, D, Jarman, N & Bryan, D 2020, '‘When the walls come tumbling down': The role of intergroup proximity, threat and contact in shaping attitudes towards the removal of Northern Ireland’s peace walls.', British Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 59, no. 4, pp. 922-944. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12370

APA

Vancouver

Dixon J, Tredoux C, Sturgeon B, Hocking B, Davies G, Huck J et al. ‘When the walls come tumbling down': The role of intergroup proximity, threat and contact in shaping attitudes towards the removal of Northern Ireland’s peace walls. British Journal of Social Psychology. 2020 Oct 1;59(4):922-944. Epub 2020 Feb 17. doi: 10.1111/bjso.12370

Author

Dixon, John ; Tredoux, Colin ; Sturgeon, Brendan et al. / ‘When the walls come tumbling down' : The role of intergroup proximity, threat and contact in shaping attitudes towards the removal of Northern Ireland’s peace walls. In: British Journal of Social Psychology. 2020 ; Vol. 59, No. 4. pp. 922-944.

Bibtex

@article{5fe27bc2604446eea772928f6e9e565b,
title = "{\textquoteleft}When the walls come tumbling down': The role of intergroup proximity, threat and contact in shaping attitudes towards the removal of Northern Ireland{\textquoteright}s peace walls.",
abstract = "Institutional structures of segregation typically entrench social inequality and sustain wider patterns of intergroup conflict and discrimination. However, initiatives to dismantle such structures may provoke resistance. Executive proposals to dismantle Northern Ireland{\textquoteright}s peace walls by 2023 provide a compelling case study of the nature of such resistance and may thus provide important clues about how it might be overcome. Drawing on a field survey conducted in north Belfast (n = 488), this research explored the role of physical proximity, realistic and symbolic threat, and past experiences of positive and negative cross-community contact on Catholic and Protestant residents{\textquoteright} support for removing the walls. Structural equation modelling suggested that both forms of contact and proximity were significantly related to such support and that these relationships were partially mediated by realistic threat. It also suggested that positive contact moderated the effects of proximity. That is, for residents who had more frequent positive interactions with members of the other community, proximity to a peace wall had a weaker relationship with resistance to their removal than residents who had less frequent contact. ",
keywords = "conflict, intergroup contact, Northern Ireland, peace walls, proximity, segregation, territoriality, threat",
author = "John Dixon and Colin Tredoux and Brendan Sturgeon and Bree Hocking and Gemma Davies and Jonathan Huck and Duncan Whyatt and Neil Jarman and Dominic Bryan",
note = "This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Dixon, J., Tredoux, C., Sturgeon, B., Hocking, B., Davies, G., Huck, J., Whyatt, D., Jarman, N. and Bryan, D. (2020), {\textquoteleft}When the walls come tumbling down{\textquoteright}: The role of intergroup proximity, threat, and contact in shaping attitudes towards the removal of Northern Ireland{\textquoteright}s peace walls. Br. J. Soc. Psychol. 59 (4) doi:10.1111/bjso.12370 which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjso.12370/abstract This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.",
year = "2020",
month = oct,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1111/bjso.12370",
language = "English",
volume = "59",
pages = "922--944",
journal = "British Journal of Social Psychology",
issn = "0144-6665",
publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Ltd",
number = "4",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - ‘When the walls come tumbling down'

T2 - The role of intergroup proximity, threat and contact in shaping attitudes towards the removal of Northern Ireland’s peace walls.

AU - Dixon, John

AU - Tredoux, Colin

AU - Sturgeon, Brendan

AU - Hocking, Bree

AU - Davies, Gemma

AU - Huck, Jonathan

AU - Whyatt, Duncan

AU - Jarman, Neil

AU - Bryan, Dominic

N1 - This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Dixon, J., Tredoux, C., Sturgeon, B., Hocking, B., Davies, G., Huck, J., Whyatt, D., Jarman, N. and Bryan, D. (2020), ‘When the walls come tumbling down’: The role of intergroup proximity, threat, and contact in shaping attitudes towards the removal of Northern Ireland’s peace walls. Br. J. Soc. Psychol. 59 (4) doi:10.1111/bjso.12370 which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjso.12370/abstract This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.

PY - 2020/10/1

Y1 - 2020/10/1

N2 - Institutional structures of segregation typically entrench social inequality and sustain wider patterns of intergroup conflict and discrimination. However, initiatives to dismantle such structures may provoke resistance. Executive proposals to dismantle Northern Ireland’s peace walls by 2023 provide a compelling case study of the nature of such resistance and may thus provide important clues about how it might be overcome. Drawing on a field survey conducted in north Belfast (n = 488), this research explored the role of physical proximity, realistic and symbolic threat, and past experiences of positive and negative cross-community contact on Catholic and Protestant residents’ support for removing the walls. Structural equation modelling suggested that both forms of contact and proximity were significantly related to such support and that these relationships were partially mediated by realistic threat. It also suggested that positive contact moderated the effects of proximity. That is, for residents who had more frequent positive interactions with members of the other community, proximity to a peace wall had a weaker relationship with resistance to their removal than residents who had less frequent contact.

AB - Institutional structures of segregation typically entrench social inequality and sustain wider patterns of intergroup conflict and discrimination. However, initiatives to dismantle such structures may provoke resistance. Executive proposals to dismantle Northern Ireland’s peace walls by 2023 provide a compelling case study of the nature of such resistance and may thus provide important clues about how it might be overcome. Drawing on a field survey conducted in north Belfast (n = 488), this research explored the role of physical proximity, realistic and symbolic threat, and past experiences of positive and negative cross-community contact on Catholic and Protestant residents’ support for removing the walls. Structural equation modelling suggested that both forms of contact and proximity were significantly related to such support and that these relationships were partially mediated by realistic threat. It also suggested that positive contact moderated the effects of proximity. That is, for residents who had more frequent positive interactions with members of the other community, proximity to a peace wall had a weaker relationship with resistance to their removal than residents who had less frequent contact.

KW - conflict

KW - intergroup contact

KW - Northern Ireland

KW - peace walls

KW - proximity

KW - segregation

KW - territoriality

KW - threat

U2 - 10.1111/bjso.12370

DO - 10.1111/bjso.12370

M3 - Journal article

VL - 59

SP - 922

EP - 944

JO - British Journal of Social Psychology

JF - British Journal of Social Psychology

SN - 0144-6665

IS - 4

ER -