Potential terrorists, oil suppliers, harems, and worshippers of another god: Media coverage of Muslims, perceived threats from Muslims, intercultural contact, and ethnocentrism.

摘要

This investigation examines the relationship between reported media exposure, fears of perceived threats from American Muslims and Muslim immigrants, intercultural contact, and ethnocentrism. The study relies on Cultivation Theory and Integrated Threat Theory.; Results show that there is a statistically significant relationship between perceived threat and ethnocentrism. This suggests that greater degrees of perceived threat from a particular outgroup is associated with greater degrees of ethnocentrism. Findings also demonstrate a statistically significant relationship between perceived threat, intercultural contact, and ethnocentrism. Intercultural contact is negatively correlated to both perceived threat and ethnocentrism.; Findings also demonstrate that there is not a statistically significant relationship between media exposure and perceived threat. Media exposure appears to have a relationship to perceived threat that is manifested only in high contact conditions. This finding supports the view that attitudes about Muslims are so homogeneous that most respondents perceived threat from Muslims regardless of media exposure. If indeed media saturation is the cause, then this research is strongly suggestive of an Expectancy Violations effect, identifies limits to Cultivation Theory, and links the two theories in a new and unique way.