Quest for significance: understanding the dynamics of immigrants’ threat perception and political ideologies in Italy

Introduction According to intergroup threat theory (Stephan et al., 2016), viewing other groups as a threat to one's own cultural identity can escalate into extreme outgroup hostility (Esses et al., 2003). Correspondingly, in municipalities with a moderate proportion of foreigners, there's a higher likelihood of support for exclusionary populist radical right movements (Charitopoulou & García-Manglano, 2018). The perceived threats posed by immigrants can be seen as challenges to one's identity, triggering the need for significance – the desire to matter, and earn respect (Significance Theory, Kruglanski et al., 2009). Consequently, individuals seek means to restore their significance, often gravitating towards extreme and polarizing ideologies (Kruglanski et al., 2022). Aims and Methods This study aimed to explore the interplay among the perception of threat posed by immigrants, extremism, and populism through the mediation role of the quest for significance (QFS) within a stratified representative sample of the Italian population (N = 1000, Women = 51.7%). Several multigroup regression analyses were conducted to investigate whether the relationships between the variables varied significantly among different demographic groups (i.e., Nielsen area, gender, age brackets, education level, and income). Results Across all demographic groups, the impact of perceived threat from immigrants on extremism was positively and significantly mediated by the QFS. Regarding the influence of threat and QFS on populism, mediation was observed only in specific segments of the Italian population. These findings will be further discussed in the context of existing literature and the actual distribution of immigrants (immigrants-Italians ratio) in various regions considered. Conclusion Through the methodology of multigroup regression analyses on a stratified and representative Italian sample, we have meticulously explored the interconnectedness of cultural threat, extremism, populism, and QFS, offering insights into the socio-political fabric of contemporary Italy. Furthermore, this study lays the groundwork for future comparative analysis in other political contexts.