The effect of commitment to a festival on attitude toward the in-group and out-group

The purpose of this study was to clarify the process of attitude change for an in-group and an out-group from different towns with regard to their involvement in Japanese traditional festivals. The 71 participants lived near to where the Usuki festival is held. An investigation was conducted over four months using a survey questionnaire that measured attitudes toward the in-group and the out-group. The factor analysis of these attitude scales yielded four factors that included: attachment to in- and out-group towns and attachment to in- and out-group members. Attachment to the in-group factor scores were higher than those to the out-group, and only the attitude to in-group members changed over time. It was concluded that the existence of an identity and actual contact produced this result. Finally, the importance of realworld conflict in intergroup research is demonstrated.