THE POWER OF GETTING PERSPECTIVE: A STUDY OF NARRATIVE INTERVENTIONS AND POINT OF VIEW ON POLITICAL ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR TOWARDS REFUGEES

Abstract

Recent research has found that perspective-getting, rather than perspective-taking, is the most effective narrative strategy for inducing empathy towards and increasing positive attitudes towards refugees. This study seeks to analyze whether the narrator’s point of view (i.e. having a first- or third-person narrator for a narrative) changes perspective-getting’s ability to induce positive political attitudes and behaviors. Through an original survey experiment and statistical analysis, I found both first- and third-person perspective-getting narratives effective at increasing positive political attitudes towards refugees, with no significant difference between their effects. However, utilizing a petition signing as a semi-behavioral task, I also found that both first- and third-person perspective-getting narratives negatively affected the likelihood of positive political behavior towards refugees, contrary to previous research on narrative strategies writ large. This finding highlights the need for more research on the effects of perspective-getting on political behavior. This study emphasizes the importance of perspective-getting, discusses potential implementations of the interventions, and urges further research on the conditions under which narrative strategies can positively affect both attitudes and behavior towards refugees.