Not All Homeless People Are Panhandlers: Identifying Subgroups Individuates Homeless People

Abstract

Perceptions of homeless people are negative. For images of homelessness, sleeping on the streets, panhandling, and substance abuse first come to mind. However, circumstances of homelessness vary across situations such as sleeping temporarily in the car or at a friend’s place between jobs. Based on previous research, identifying subgroups is a potential intervention for stereotype change. This thesis investigates whether identifying subgroups of homeless people leads, through individuation, to an improved perception of homeless people. Participants from various countries (N=594) first identified subgroups of one out of several social groups, including homeless people, depending on experimental condition. All participants then described how they imagined the day in the life of a homeless person. This study predicted that people who subgrouped either homeless or undocumented people (similar stereotype content) would write longer, more concrete, and more individuating descriptions when asked to imagine a day in the life of a homeless person than individuals who described other subgroups—and that this would improve stereotypes. Indeed, those who subgrouped homeless or undocumented people, but also middle-class people, all wrote more when describing a homeless person’s life (as compared with no subtyping or other subtyping). However, despite evidence for increased individuation, stereotype content remained the same. Therefore, this study did not support subgrouping as a viable intervention for changing stereotypes of homeless people. Keywords: subgrouping, individuation, homeless people, homelessness, stereotype content model, stereotype change