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Assessing the Effect of Media Tone on Attitudes Toward Muslims: Evidence From an Online Experiment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2022

Erik Bleich Open the ORCID record for Erik Bleich [Opens in a new window] ,
Jeffrey Carpenter Open the ORCID record for Jeffrey Carpenter [Opens in a new window]  and
A. Maurits van der Veen Open the ORCID record for A. Maurits van der Veen [Opens in a new window]
Erik Bleich*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont 05753, USA
Jeffrey Carpenter
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont 05753, USA
A. Maurits van der Veen
Affiliation:
William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185, USA
*
Corresponding author: Erik Bleich, E-mail: ebleich@middlebury.edu
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Abstract

Media coverage of Muslims has been repeatedly shown to be negative, and attitudes toward Muslims in American society are typically more negative than attitudes toward other social groups. Does the tone of media coverage directly affect public attitudes? This relationship is not well established with respect to Muslims, nor as a proposition about social groups in general. We use an online between-subjects experiment to examine whether exposure to articles of quantifiably different valences about Muslims or Catholics affects reported attitudes toward each of those groups. We find clear support for this proposition. Our additional tests demonstrate that this effect persists but is attenuated when money is at stake. We also identify anxiety as a key mediator between exposure to articles of different valences and attitudes about each group. Our findings suggest that articles of a particular tone can influence views of social groups.

Type
Article
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , September 2022 , pp. 441 - 461
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association

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