Can Contact Reduce Prejudice?

Throughout this blog, I have explored different perspectives on whether understanding differences can help create a more peaceful world. We have looked at the experiences of international students, the importance of preserving cultural identity, Adler’s idea of community feeling, and Tajfel’s theory that humans naturally form groups.

This raises an important question: If people naturally divide themselves into groups, can positive interaction help reduce prejudice?

The following article is informed by the following sources:

UNESCO. (n.d.). Intercultural dialogue. UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/en/interculturaldialogue

Christ, O., Hewstone, M., Tausch, N., Wagner, U., Voci, A., Hughes, J., & Cairns, E. (2014). Contextual effect of positive intergroup contact on outgroup prejudice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(11), 3996–4000. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3964129/

Many educators, researchers, and international organizations believe that meaningful contact between different groups can help reduce prejudice. UNESCO, for example, promotes intercultural dialogue as an important way to build trust, mutual understanding, and peaceful coexistence.

The basic idea is simple. People often develop stereotypes about groups they know very little about. These stereotypes can create fear, misunderstanding, and prejudice. However, when people have opportunities to interact with individuals from different backgrounds, they may begin to question those assumptions.

Research supports this idea. In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers found that positive contact between groups was associated with lower levels of prejudice toward people from different backgrounds. The findings suggest that interactions with others can influence not only personal attitudes but also the broader social environment.

This idea connects closely to my own experiences. Living in both Japan and Canada allowed me to meet people whose cultures, beliefs, and life experiences were very different from my own. Some of the most valuable lessons I learned did not come from textbooks or lectures. They came from conversations, friendships, and everyday experiences.

Of course, contact alone does not automatically solve every problem. Negative experiences can sometimes reinforce stereotypes. In addition, social, political, and economic factors can create barriers that make understanding difficult. However, positive interaction provides people with opportunities to see others as individuals rather than simply members of a different group.

This perspective offers a hopeful response to the questions raised in my previous post. While humans may naturally form groups, those groups do not have to remain isolated from one another. Through communication, cooperation, and shared experiences, people can build connections that cross cultural and social boundaries.

Perhaps understanding differences begins not with changing someone’s mind, but with creating opportunities to meet, listen, and learn from one another.

What do you think? Have you ever changed your opinion about a group of people after getting to know someone from that group personally?