Matching majority and minority preferences can outweigh the strategy’s absolute merit.

Evidence

Acculturation researchers have also investigated how the preferences of minorities and majorities “fit” together. For instance, in their Interactive Acculturation Model, Bourhis et al. (1997) argue that a situation of good fit exists when - among other combinations - both minority and majority prefer assimilation. Although, when taken singly, integration has been demonstrated to lead to more favorable acculturative outcomes than assimilation, this more recent research suggests that a preference for assimilation might be similarly advantageous if there is concordance between the two groups about the strategy of choice. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 458

Categorization

• QUESTION: The excerpt cuts off mid-sentence (‘a preference for assimilation…’). The point seems to be that fit between majority and minority preferences matters more than the strategy’s intrinsic quality — a notable argument that integration can backfire when the majority wants assimilation.