On-line presentation (research presentation) (30 Minutes) Social Markers of Acceptance: Deciding Who Is Japanese and How Criteria Change with Context more

Sat, Nov 27, 08:30-09:00 Asia/Tokyo

How can immigrants become accepted members in their receiving societies? What are the criteria that local populations use in deciding “Who is one of ‘us?’” Social Markers of Acceptance (SMA) give us a clue, as they are socially constructed indicators (for example, language skills, adherence to certain social norms, or racialized appearance) that recipient nationals use in deciding whether a migrant is a part of the host community. SMA collectively reflect the degree of host inclusiveness, as more markers imply increasingly stringent criteria for ingroup membership. Japan provides fertile ground for examining the relationship between SMA and inclusion: it is ethnically homogenous, yet a greying workforce makes admitting migrants essential to achieve demographic and economic sustainability. This study aimed to identify the SMA considered important by Japanese for immigrants to be accepted in society to the same degree as native Japanese, and to identify how such perceptions vary according to perceived immigrant threat, contributions, and social status, as well as national identity and intergroup boundary permeability. A nationally representative sample of 2,000 Japanese completed an online survey. Factor analyses revealed a 2-factor solution comprising civic markers (for example, being able to speak conversational Japanese, embracing a positive attitude toward Japanese society, and having Japanese “common sense”), as well as ethnic markers (for instance, having Japanese parents and physically resembling a Japanese) as being important among survey respondents. A three-step hierarchical regression was used to understand how expectations for civic and ethnic markers change depending upon the context: namely, according to Japanese perceptions of the degree of threat, contribution, and social status associated with immigrants, as well as the strength of subjects’ Japanese national identity. During this presentation, implications of the findings will be detailed, as well as recommendations for improving societal inclusiveness toward migrants in Japan.