Meijer, Yaniek (2026) SELECTIVELY HUMAN: How the Illegal Label Shapes European Perceptions of Migrants. Bachelor thesis, Global Responsibility & Leadership (GRL).
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Abstract
Migration is arguably one of the most heavily debated topics of our time, with a great divide in opinions on the matter. The legal-versus-illegal status distinction plays a particularly decisive role in how migrants are perceived. This interdisciplinary study draws from both social psychology and political science theory, aiming to examine the effect of legal status on dehumanisation and empathic concern among native-born European residents, and whether this is shaped by perceived stereotypical threat and endorsement of universal human rights (UHR) principles. Using an experimental vignette design in an online survey with 102 participants randomly assigned to a legal or illegal condition, four hypotheses were tested. Results indicated no direct effect of legal status on dehumanisation or empathic concern. Instead, economic threat perception emerged as the sole indirect pathway, fully mediating the effect on dehumanisation and partially on empathic concern. Interestingly, high UHR endorsement buffered against this indirect effect, demonstrating the importance of the endorsement of such principles. Future research would benefit from examining specific economic threat narratives and testing interventions that target both stereotype reduction and the internalisation of UHR principles. Keywords: migration, legal status, dehumanisation, empathic concern, perceived stereotypical threat, universal human rights, moral disengagement
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
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| Name supervisor: | Gul, P. |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Jun 2026 11:50 |
| Last Modified: | 10 Jun 2026 11:50 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/823 |
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