Anything but Politics: Connectedness in Networked Social Groups for Addressing Prejudice.

This article investigates the rising prevalence of prejudice against immigrants in the United States, focusing on the distinction between blatant prejudice—explicit feelings of threat—and subtle prejudice—more implicit biases such as withholding positive emotions. Using a nationally representative web survey (N = 1500) and a six-week panel study (N = 752), the research finds that blatant prejudice has surpassed subtle prejudice as the more commonly reported form of bias. The study examines whether social connectedness within nonpolitical social media groups, which foster relationships based on shared interests rather than political identity, can reduce prejudice. Results indicate that greater connectedness in these nonpolitical groups is associated with significant reductions in blatant and global prejudice over time, suggesting that online social ties may serve as an effective complement to declining face-to-face intergroup contact in mitigating negative attitudes toward immigrants.