Feelings of coldness towards social groups : The revert to materialist values and the role of indifference

Perceptions of economic and security threats have recently led to a change in priorities in the Western world, placing the protection of one's own group well-being and safety over the importance attached to the defense of individual rights. Moreover, various studies have shown that such a reversal in priorities is associated with the rise of cold attitudes towards immigrants and minorities. The aim of the present research is to analyze the association between materialistic values and feelings of coldness towards various social groups, by considering the mediation effect of intergroup indifference, defined as being uncaring in regard to arbitrary policies affecting other social groups. The results supported the hypothesis. Materialistic values are indeed positively correlated with cold attitudes towards social groups, and this relationship is fully mediated by intergroup indifference. The results show that the study of intergroup dynamics should consider the role of intergroup indifference as it identifies a strategy of de-responsibilization that may be implemented blamelessly.