This paper connects insights from the literature on cosmopolitan worldviews and the effects of perspective-taking in political science, (intergroup) anxiety in social psychology, and identity economics in a vignette-style experiment. In particular, we asked German respondents about their attitudes towards a Syrian refugee, randomizing components of his description (N = 662). The main treatment describes the refugee as being aware of and empathetic towards potential worries in the German population about cultural change, costs, and violence associated with refugee inflows. This perspective-taking by the refugee increases the reported ability to empathize with the refugee and, especially for risk-averse people, reported sympathy and trust. We argue that acknowledging the potential concerns of the host population relieves the tension between an anxious and a cosmopolitan/open part of people’s identities. Moreover, relieved tension renders people less defensive; i.e. when one aspect of identity is already acknowledged (expressing anxieties), it has less influence on actual behavior (expressing sympathy). In addition, previous contact with foreigners and a higher willingness to take risks are important factors in determining an individual’s willingness to interact with refugees.

中文翻译：

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相互冲突的身份：国际化还是焦虑？理解东道国人口的担忧可以改善对移民的态度


本文将关于世界主义世界观的文献见解与政治学中的观点采纳、社会心理学中的（群体间）焦虑和身份经济学联系起来，以一个小插图式实验。特别是，我们询问了德国受访者对叙利亚难民的态度，随机化了他描述的组成部分 （N = 662）。主要处理方式将难民描述为对德国人口对与难民流入相关的文化变化、成本和暴力的潜在担忧感到了解和同情。据报道，难民的这种换位思考增加了对难民的同情能力，特别是对于厌恶风险的人来说，他们报告了同情和信任。我们认为，承认东道国人口的潜在担忧可以缓解人们身份的焦虑部分和世界性/开放部分之间的紧张关系。此外，缓解的紧张使人们的防御性降低;即，当身份的某个方面已经被承认（表达焦虑）时，它对实际行为（表达同情）的影响较小。此外，以前与外国人的接触和更高的冒险意愿是决定个人与难民互动意愿的重要因素。