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Let's talk about the Israel–Palestine conflict: Does exposure to political comedy about the Middle East influence policy attitudes?

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  • Amy B. Becker

Abstract

Objective The research considers the impact of exposure to political comedy focused on the crisis in the Middle East on viewers' attitudes toward the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Methods Data from a four‐group experiment were analyzed (N = 240; August 2021). Video stimuli were drawn from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. Results The results suggest that exposure to this critical content has a limited but significant effect on issue attitudes. Specifically, subjects exposed to satire about the conflict in the Middle East were significantly less likely to suggest that the United States is too supportive of the Palestinians and were marginally less likely to suggest that the Hamas response to the crisis goes too far, that the Israeli government is making a sincere effort to bring about peace, and that there is a way for Israel and an independent Palestinian state to coexist peacefully. Conclusion The implications of the findings and the potential influence of satire on foreign policy issue attitudes are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Amy B. Becker, 2022. "Let's talk about the Israel–Palestine conflict: Does exposure to political comedy about the Middle East influence policy attitudes?," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(3), pages 724-736, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:103:y:2022:i:3:p:724-736
    DOI: 10.1111/ssqu.13141
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Baum, Matthew A., 2002. "Sex, Lies, and War: How Soft News Brings Foreign Policy to the Inattentive Public," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 96(1), pages 91-109, March.
    2. Leticia Bode & Amy B. Becker, 2018. "Go Fix It: Comedy as an Agent of Political Activation," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 99(5), pages 1572-1584, November.
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