“We Are in This Together” Common Group Identity Predicts Majority Members’ Active Acculturation Efforts to Integrate Immigrants

Although integration involves a process of mutual accommodation, the role of majority groups is often downplayed to passive
tolerance, leaving immigrants with the sole responsibility for active integration. However, we show that common group
identity can actively involve majority members in this process across five studies. Study 1 showed that common identity
positively predicted support of integration efforts; Studies 2 and 3 extended these findings, showing that it also predicted
real behavior such as monetary donations and volunteering. A decrease in modern racism mediated the relations across
these studies, and Studies 4 and 5 further demonstrated that it indeed mediated these effects over and above acculturation
expectations and color-blindness, which somewhat compromised integration efforts. Moreover, the last two studies also
demonstrated that common, but not dual, groups motivated integration efforts. Common identity appears crucial for securing
majorities’ altruistic efforts to integrate immigrants and, thus, for achieving functional multiculturalism.