Social Identification and Public Opinion: Effects of Communicating Group Conflict

In: Public opinion quarterly: journal of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Band 53, Heft 2, S. 197-224

Abstract

An investigation of the interaction between people's social identities & mass media reports of public issues emphasizing conflicts of opinion between social groups. Current theory & research on social identification & intergroup behavior are used to develop a three-stage model of the cognitive, perceptual, & behavioral processes that may be triggered by media reports of group conflict. According to the model, a news report emphasizing group conflict over an issue cues its recipients to think about the issue through their particular group perspective, which leads to polarized or exaggerated perceptions of group opinions, & to expressions of personal opinion consistent with these exaggerated perceptions of group norms. Factors contributing to & inhibiting this kind of response are also incorporated into the model. Analyses of experimental data from college undergraduates (N = 126) who read & responded to experimentally prepared newspaper articles covering a campus issue are reviewed. The results generally support the social identification model, & illustrate how media reports emphasizing group conflicts may play an important role in the formation of public opinion. 4 Tables, 45 References. Modified AA