What reduces prejudice in the real world? A meta-analysis of prejudice reduction field experiments

Despite advances to promote acceptance and equity in many countries, prejudice remains a significant social problem. Promoting intergroup harmony requires knowledge about what works to reduce prejudice in community settings. This meta-analysis of field experiments reveals the most effective intervention types and conditions for reducing negative attitudes towards minority groups in real-world settings. Across 69 intervention arms and 24,378 participants, results reveal that prejudice reduction interventions are effective at improving attitudes towards minority groups in real world settings (d = 0.51, 95% CI [0.33; 0.68]). Subgroup analyses indicate that less commonly explored approaches, such as perceived variability, may have larger effect sizes than contact-based interventions, but more research is needed to confirm the effects of these less-researched approaches. Additionally, results show that interventions are more effective for school and college cohorts than for adults, and that the effects of prejudice reduction interventions endure over time.