Reducing Prejudice Through Conversation

• In Event: Religion and Politics in India

Abstract

In places with considerable ethnic conflict, can a series of conversations between members of different ethnic groups affect attitudes and intentions about each other? We design an experiment in which we bring together Hindus and Muslims in India for five days of guided conversations on WhatsApp, the most popular messaging platform in India. We investigate the extent to which (a) chatting with an outgroup member and (b) the topics discussed affect Hindus’ and Muslim’s perceptions of the outgroup and opinions about related social and political issues. In particular, we examine whether conversations about political issues are more likely to improve outgroup perceptions compared to conversations about non-political issues. Delving further into the topic of conversation, we explore whether conversations about political issues that are generally relevant to all Indians regardless of religious affiliation are more effective than conversations about political issues directly related to the conflict between the two groups.

Authors

• Rajeshwari Majumdar, New York University

• Joshua A. Tucker, New York University

• Jonathan Nagler, New York University

• Richard Bonneau, NYU