The Divisive Coverage Effect

Abstract

The media often depict public opinion as divided by gender, race, or political affiliation. Can this type of reporting help create the group differences portrayed? Two experiments investigated whether exposure to divisive coverage could widen the gulf between real groups. Participants in Experiment 1, some of whom were affiliated with pan-Hellenic (Greek) organizations, viewed a videotape depicting the tribunal of a fraternity member accused of vandalism. Interviews with other students ostensibly from the same university preceded the tribunal scene and depicted either (a) all Greek interviewees supporting the fraternity member and all non-Greek interviewees opposing him (divisive coverage) or (b) Greek and non-Greek interviewees holding equally mixed opinions (nondivisive coverage). Only the divisive coverage condition led to significant differences between Greek and non-Greek participants, with Greek participants judging the defendant less harshly. Experiment 2 replicated the divisive coverage effect using the issue of support for affirmative action among male and female participants.