Multidimensional Boundaries of Perception toward Refugees as Outgroup in South Korea

Abstract

This study examines the criteria by which Koreans judge refugees as “different from us” and how such judgments vary across three value domains: morality and religion, family and childrearing, and social relations. While existing research generally argues that strong identity increases outgroup exclusion, this study contends that outgroup perception is a multidimensional boundary structured by the interaction between identity type and specific value domains. Using a nationwide online survey and cumulative logit models, the analysis shows that civic identity is consistently associated with perceptions of difference in the domains of morality and religion and in the domain of family and childrearing, but its association becomes weaker in the domain of social relations. In contrast, ethnic identity exhibits little systematic effect across these domains. These findings indicate that perceived refugee otherness is shaped less by the strength of identity than by its content and the value domains to which it is applied. This suggests that civic orientations that emphasize legal obligations and family norms, together with increased everyday contact in schools, workplaces, and local communities, may help reduce prejudice toward refugees.

BibTeX citation

@article{Park:2025,
    Author = {Sanghoon Park, Younghoon Song, and Dongeun Shin},
    Journal = {Journal of Future Politics},
    Number = {2},
    Pages = {163--186},
    Title = {Multidimensional Boundaries of Perception toward Refugees as Outgroup in South Korea},
    Volume = {12},
    Year = {2025}}