Muslims love Jesus, too? Corrective information alters prejudices against Islam

Steffen Moritz; Anja S. Göritz; Simone Kühn; Brooke C. Schneider; Eva Krieger; Jana Röhlinger; Sarah Zimmerer

doi:10.1007/s11089-016-0706-4

Muslims love Jesus, too? Corrective information alters prejudices against Islam

Steffen Moritz^*, Anja S. Göritz, Simone Kühn, Brooke C. Schneider, Eva Krieger, Jana Röhlinger, Sarah Zimmerer

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The present study examined whether prejudices towards Islam can be altered through corrective information. A total of 1715 German participants were first asked to appraise their opinions towards Judaism, Christianity and Islam (the ratings pertained to progressiveness, tolerance, peacefulness). Subsequently, questions regarding knowledge about religious topics were posed to participants. Questions were selected to elicit common prejudices pertaining to Islam. The correct answers were then displayed along with detailed explanations. Finally, participants were asked to rate their current opinion towards the three religions once again. Opinions towards Islam were largely negative at baseline but improved significantly after presentation of the correct answers. The present study suggests that prejudices against Islam are partially fueled by knowledge gaps.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	65-77
Number of pages	13
Journal	Pastoral Psychology
Volume	66
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-016-0706-4
Publication status	Published - Feb 2017
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

religion
Islam
Christianity
Judaism
prejudices
opinion

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10.1007/s11089-016-0706-4

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abstract = "The present study examined whether prejudices towards Islam can be altered through corrective information. A total of 1715 German participants were first asked to appraise their opinions towards Judaism, Christianity and Islam (the ratings pertained to progressiveness, tolerance, peacefulness). Subsequently, questions regarding knowledge about religious topics were posed to participants. Questions were selected to elicit common prejudices pertaining to Islam. The correct answers were then displayed along with detailed explanations. Finally, participants were asked to rate their current opinion towards the three religions once again. Opinions towards Islam were largely negative at baseline but improved significantly after presentation of the correct answers. The present study suggests that prejudices against Islam are partially fueled by knowledge gaps.",

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AU - Röhlinger, Jana

AU - Zimmerer, Sarah

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Muslims love Jesus, too? Corrective information alters prejudices against Islam

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Keywords

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