Does interaction with ethnic outgroups reduce prejudice? Although observational evidence suggests a positive answer to this question, mixed results from (field) experiments raise more caution about an unconditionally positive effect of intergroup contact. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the conditions under which contact between ethnic groups can reduce prejudice. I investigate the importance of Allport’s (1954) cooperation condition for the prejudice-reducing effect of ethnic intergroup contact in a vocational school setting. The field experiment takes place in a vocational school in southern Germany. Students from various ethnic backgrounds spend half of their vocational education at school and the other half at their company. The teaching part of a semester consists of three four-week teaching blocks. In this environment, I randomly select who the first-year students of the class of 2024 sit next to in the first teaching block. First, randomization takes place in the classroom, where students spend most of their time. The second randomization happens in the workshops, where the students practice their craftsmanship skills and cooperate while doing so. This two-fold setup allows me to assess the importance of the cooperation condition. Analytically, I use the difference in differences method. The field experiment captures the prejudice-reducing effect of ethnic intergroup contact by comparing students’ prejudices before and after the block of teaching for those majority group members sitting next to a minority member versus those majority group members sitting next to other ethnic majority members. By comparing the prejudice-reducing effect of classrooms and workshops separately, I can evaluate the relevance of the cooperation conditions. To measure prejudice, I use agreement with statements about outgroups, an emotional barometer, and the implicit association test. Considering previous studies that found a change in behavior but not in attitudes, I also develop a behavioral game as a further outcome measure. The pretest for the field experiment takes place in July 2024 in the third block of the current first-year students with the profession of painters and surveyors, a total of 50 students. Incorporating feedback from the pretest, the experiment will take place in November 2024 for all professions in the first block of first-year students, with an expected number of 250 students.
