The role of perceived gratitude from the outgroup in promoting solidarity-based collective action towards immigrants

Perceived gratitude from the outgroup, namely the extent to which ingroup members perceive the outgroup as grateful towards them, is an under investigated topic of research. We carried out two studies to analyze whether perceived gratitude from the outgroup mediates the relationship between trait gratitude on the one hand and intentions to engage in actions aimed at supporting immigrants on the other. We adopted both a cross-sectional design with Italian adult participants (Study 1, N = 450) and we confirmed the results by adopting a longitudinal approach at three timepoints to test the relationships among variables with a sample of Italian adolescents (Study 2, N = 347). Results of both studies confirmed that trait gratitude is positively linked to perceived gratitude from the outgroup, which in turn is positively associated with intentions to engage in solidarity-based collective action towards immigrants. Perceived gratitude from the outgroup is therefore a promising construct likely to affect group dynamics towards social equality.