Reducing Intergroup Prejudice Through Conversations on WhatsApp

• In Event: Extremism and Polarization Online

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? Research on the contact hypothesis suggests that intergroup contact can reduce prejudice, though there is considerable variation in the extent to which contact can effectively promote more positive attitudes and behavior. Given the mixed empirical evidence on how intergroup contact affects (or does not affect) attitudes and behavior, more rigorous research on the conditions under which contact is most effective (or even effective at all) is of importance. The extent to which the quality of contact matters is especially meaningful in contexts with considerable discrimination and segregation, where members of the majority group have the option of opting out of contact with the minority, or where much of the information majority group members have about minority group members may be misinformation spread by political elites. In that vein, we design an experiment in which we bring together Hindus and Muslims in India (where religious conflict has been a major issue for decades) for five days of guided conversations on WhatsApp, the most popular messaging platform in India. WhatsApp has, in the last few years, made headlines for being a hotbed for political misinformation in India, especially when it comes to rumors or false information regarding religious minorities, so an intervention that operates in the same environment is of interest. 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

• Richard Bonneau, NYU

• Jonathan Nagler, New York University

• Joshua A. Tucker, New York University