Endorsement of Polyculturalism Predicts Increased Positive Intergroup Contact and Friendship across the Beginning of College

U.S. universities are increasingly racially/ethnically diverse, offering students opportunities for positive, proactive intergroup interactions. However, not all students take advantage of these opportunities, making it important to understand what factors contribute to intergroup contact and friendship. In the current longitudinal investigation with 329 undergraduates at a diverse, mid-sized, public university in the Northeastern U.S., we examined the role of polyculturalism, which is the belief that diverse racial/ethnic groups have throughout history interacted and exchanged with each other, thereby influencing each other's cultures over time. We found that greater endorsement of polyculturalism before the start of college prospectively predicted increases in intergroup contact and friendship from spring of first year to fall of second year, controlling for endorsement of multiculturalism, colorblindness, and egalitarianism before the start of college. Findings suggest polyculturalism deserves further attention in research and might be useful for interventions, programs, and policies aimed at fostering positive intergroup interactions.