The Role of Politicized Minority Groups in Affective Polarization: Experimental Evidence from Turkey

In the current study, we examine how attitudes toward minorities relate to affective polarization (AP). Drawing on the social sorting hypothesis and theories in cognitive political psychology, we expect that attitudes toward politicized disadvantaged groups expand to partisan evaluations in polarized contexts. We will conduct a survey experiment examining the effect of vicarious positive intergroup contact with three minority groups (LGBTQ+ individuals, Syrian refugees and Kurds) on partisan prejudice in Turkey. Participants (N ≈ 700) will be exposed to mock Facebook posts that elicit either positive or neutral contact with LGBTQ+ individuals, Syrian refugees or Kurds. We expect that witnessing positive contact with a minority group will improve attitudes toward that group (H1), which in turn will shape attitudes toward partisans whose political party is aligned with or opposed to that group (H2). Specifically, positive attitudes toward a minority group will decrease animosity toward parties that support that group’s rights and increase prejudice toward supporters of parties that oppose them. Improving attitudes toward LGBTQ+ individuals should increase warmth toward partisans of pro-social rights or LGBTQ+ rights parties (CHP and DEM Party) while decreasing warmth toward supporters of anti-LGBTQ+ parties (AKP and MHP). Likewise, positive contact with Kurds should increase warmth toward pro-Kurdish DEM Party supporters while decreasing it toward far-right nationalist MHP and Victory Party supporters. Promoting positive feelings for Syrian refugees will spill over to increasing positive attitudes towards pro-Syrian AKP, and negative attitudes towards anti-refugee CHP and Victory Party. The current investigation has a vast potential to contribute to AP literature by highlighting the role of non-partisan groups in partisan prejudice and targeting specific social identities instead of “thick” partisan identities to yield stronger depolarization effects.