Globalization, immigrant acculturation expectations, and extremism.

This article investigates how reactions to globalization influence majority populations' acculturation expectations toward immigrants and how these, in turn, relate to extremism and radicalization in the USA and the UK. Two studies were conducted: Study 1 (correlational, American sample) found that both multicultural acquisition (a proactive global orientation) and ethnic protection (a defensive global orientation) were positively associated with extremism, with immigrant acculturation expectations such as assimilationism, segregationism, exclusionism, and individualism mediating these relationships. Study 2 (experimental, British sample) demonstrated that negative perceptions of globalization increased hostile acculturation expectations (assimilationism and exclusionism), which mediated the link to extremist attitudes, with no significant differences found between attitudes toward Muslim and Christian immigrants. The findings highlight the complex role of globalization perceptions and acculturation attitudes in shaping extremism, suggesting that promoting individualism and integrationist orientations may mitigate radicalization, while emphasizing the need for nuanced public discourse on immigration and globalization.