From empathy to action: Can enhancing host-society children’s empathy promote positive attitudes and prosocial behavior toward refugees?

Over half of refugees are school-aged children. In host communities, children’s attitudes and behaviors are important for integration of refugee children. This study examines the empathy-attitude-action model in middle childhood (N=94, 8 to 11 years old). In both the experimental and control conditions, children were introduced to a (fictional) refugee, and told he/she would be moving to their school. The experimental condition also listened to a storybook about the child’s refugee experience. Empathy, outgroup attitudes and prosocial behavior toward the incoming child, and refugees as a group, were measured. Although mediation was not supported, the storybook condition reported more empathy and helping intentions, and attitudes predicted helping intentions but not giving to refugees. Results highlight how host-society children can welcome refugees.