The Impact of Intergroup Collaboration on In‐Group Bias Between Rohingya Refugee and Bangladeshi Host Community Children

In-group bias is a barrier to cooperation between groups, particularly between refugee and host community members, where intergroup conflict can lead to discrimination and exclusion from essential resources. We investigated whether in-group bias exists between Rohingya refugee and Bangladeshi host community children (N = 481, 50.1% female, 5-10 years of age), and whether a brief, virtual collaboration with an out-group peer would reduce bias. We found that children from both communities exhibited robust in-group preferences and bias was stronger in the host community on several measures. Furthermore, the experience of virtual collaboration with an out-group peer did not impact in-group bias on any of the measures. While we did not find a reduction in in-group bias following virtual intergroup collaboration, our findings underscore the importance of continued research on bias-reduction interventions among refugee and host community children. SUMMARY: Children from both Rohingya refugee and Bangladeshi host communities exhibited robust in-group bias. In-group bias was stronger among host community children and tended to increase with age. A brief virtual collaboration with an out-group peer did not reduce in-group bias between children from Rohingya refugee and Bangladeshi host communities.