These University of Auckland researchers describe a process of ideological legitimation of inequality, whereby intergroup contact between the disadvantaged and dominant groups perpetuates political attitudes that are detrimental to the interests of the disadvantaged group. They illustrate their argument with a nationally representative sample of 1008 Māori (a disadvantaged group in NZ). Positive intergroup contact with the dominant group (NZ Europeans) predicted increased opposition to a topical reparative policy (Māori ownership of the foreshore), whereas contact with ingroup members had the opposite effect of increasing support for reparative policy by reducing subscription to meritocratic ideology.
