Are Chinese immigrants in Cameroon perceived as a threat?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Chinese immigration to Cameroon has significantly increased within the last two decades. Members of the Cameroonian society have received Chinese presence with mixed feelings. Recent reports indicate that negative attitudes towards Chinese immigrants are on the rise. In a sample of 501 young people, ranging from 17 to 33 years old, this study specifically uses the integrated threat theory of prejudice to analyse the extent to which attitudes towards Chinese immigrants in Cameroon are predicted by the perception of threat. According to the most recent conceptualization of the integrated threat theory, there are two main types of threat that predict negative attitudes towards outgroups. These include realistic threat and symbolic threat. This study found that, a threat was a significant predictor of negative attitudes towards Chinese immigrants. However, individually, a realistic threat was the only threat that significantly predicted negative attitudes towards Chinese immigrants. Implications and future directions are discussed.