Can Exposure to Celebrities Reduce Prejudice? The Effect of Mohamed Salah on Islamophobic Behaviors and Attitudes Journal Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Can exposure to celebrities from stigmatized groups reduce prejudice? To address this question, we study the case of Mohamed Salah, a visibly Muslim, elite soccer player. Using data on hate crime reports throughout England and 15 million tweets from British soccer fans, we find that after Salah joined Liverpool F.C., hate crimes in the Liverpool area dropped by 16% compared with a synthetic control, and Liverpool F.C. fans halved their rates of posting anti-Muslim tweets relative to fans of other top-flight clubs. An original survey experiment suggests that the salience of Salah’s Muslim identity enabled positive feelings toward Salah to generalize to Muslims more broadly. Our findings provide support for the parasocial contact hypothesis—indicating that positive exposure to out-group celebrities can spark real-world behavioral changes in prejudice.

publication date

  • November 1, 2021

has restriction

  • hybrid

Date in CU Experts

  • June 14, 2021 12:21 PM

Full Author List

  • ALRABABA’H A; MARBLE W; MOUSA S; SIEGEL AA

author count

  • 4

Other Profiles

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0003-0554

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1537-5943

Additional Document Info

start page

  • 1111

end page

  • 1128

volume

  • 115

issue

  • 4