Social Preferences in Inter-Group Conflict

Abstract

Identifying who engages in inter-group conflict – and if they do so why – may help to predict and potentially prevent inter-group conflicts. Yet, little is known about the heterogeneity of individuals’ social preferences in inter-group conflict. We derive a typology and measure of group-dependent social preferences from a social preference model. We gather representative, incentivized field data before and after the heated 2016 Austrian presidential election. We find considerable heterogeneity in individuals’ social preferences. Out-group spitefulness is associated with higher age and group identity as well as lower education and in-group prosociality. Group-dependent social preferences predict voting decisions.