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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冲突的身份：国际化还是焦虑？理解东道国人民的担忧可以改善对移民的态度


本文将世界主义世界观文献中的见解与政治学中观点采择的影响、社会心理学中的（群体间）焦虑以及小插曲式实验中的身份经济学联系起来。我们特别询问了德国受访者对叙利亚难民的态度，并对其描述进行了随机分组（N = 662）。主要治疗方法将难民描述为了解并同情德国民众对与难民流入相关的文化变革、成本和暴力的潜在担忧。难民的这种换位思考增加了对难民的同情能力，特别是对于规避风险的人，增加了同情和信任。我们认为，承认东道国民众的潜在担忧可以缓解人们身份中焦虑和国际化/开放部分之间的紧张关系。此外，紧张情绪的缓解会降低人们的防御能力。即，当身份的某一方面已经得到承认（表达焦虑）时，它对实际行为（表达同情）的影响就会较小。此外，以前与外国人的接触经历以及较高的冒险意愿是决定个人与难民互动意愿的重要因素。