Enhancing Refugee Perceptions: The Power of Success and Common History in Poland

Refugees, often deeply affected by (inter)national conflicts, are known to face dehumanization. Portraying them as successful reduces dehumanization in heterogeneous societies like the United States or the United Kingdom. To examine the effects of success in a homogeneous society with a recent rise of incoming refugees, we conducted three studies in Poland. In Study 1 (N = 249), successful refugees were seen as more agentic and human, but also more threatening, a factor that decreased their perceived humanness. Study 2 (N = 272) showed that success in a non-threatening context improved perceptions of agency and humanness. Study 3 (N = 343) found that reminding Poles of their migration history further enhanced refugee humanization. Overall, portraying refugees as successful increased their perceived agency and humanness, especially in a non-threatening or common historical context.