Friday, April 25, 3:30-5pm, Derby Hall [Rm. 1039], 154 N. Oval Mall

Janet I. Lewis, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University, will present “Harnessing Networks to Counter Anti-Refugee Rumors: A Field Experiment in Uganda.”

Sharing and vetting uncertain information about out-groups is a social process, and a consequential one. Recent negative rumors about migrants reportedly sparked violence towards them in India, Turkey, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Uganda. Can this social process be harnessed to warm intergroup attitudes instead? We conducted a field experiment in Uganda, home to the largest refugee population in Africa, which reinforced positive information about refugees, addressed rumors, and encouraged perspective-taking either one-on-one or in groups. Both modes were effective and generated a social response. The group setting had a bigger impact: It warmed attitudes more in the short- and longer-term, kicked off larger spillovers to non-participants through village social networks, and changed beliefs about others’ attitudes more. These findings underscore the importance of social processes for efforts to warm intergroup relations.

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Hosted by Mershon Center for International Security Studies.