Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1389-6704
Date of Award
Spring 6-9-2024
Document Type
Thesis (Undergraduate)
Department
Quantitative Social Science
First Advisor
Yusaku Horiuchi
Abstract
This study provides empirical evidence for the existence of hiring discrimination against Zainichi Koreans, an ethnic minority group in Japan with an “invisible” identity. Using a conjoint survey experiment conducted in the Kansai region of Japan, Japanese citizens were found to strongly prefer ethnically Japanese job applicants over Zainichi Korean applicants. However, this discriminatory preference was less pronounced when Zainichi applicants used Japanese pseudonyms rather than ethnic Korean names, suggesting concealing an invisible identity can mitigate discrimination. The results also demonstrate a conditional effect of intergroup social contact on discriminatory attitudes. Respondents with high self-reported contact with Zainichi Koreans were less likely to disfavor Zainichi applicants and exhibited smaller differences in their preferences between Zainichi applicants using Korean versus Japanese names compared to those with low contact. This finding provides support for Allport’s contact hypothesis in the context of invisible identities. These results validate anecdotal evidence of discrimination against Zainichi Koreans and suggest those holding invisible identities face unique challenges, including potential discrimination even when concealing their identity. They also indicate a meaningful role for intergroup contact in reducing such prejudice.
Recommended Citation
Zhou, Kai Timothy, "Social Contact as a Conditional Factor on the Effects of Disclosing an Invisible Identity: The Case of Zainichi Koreans" (2024). Quantitative Social Science Undergraduate Senior Theses. 13.
https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/qss_senior_theses/13
