LANGUAGE FRAMING INFLUENCES INTEREST IN SOCIAL-ISSUE-BASED PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR
LANGUAGE FRAMING INFLUENCES INTEREST IN SOCIAL-ISSUE-BASED PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR

Summary/Abstract: Social activism has become an increasingly ubiquitous route to address perceived inequalities, with racial issues oftentimesbeing a salient example. Those looking to recruit activists for their cause are oftentimes interested in strategies to elicitparticipation. Two studies examined how linguistic framings of activism influence interest in such displays. Participantsviewed generic low-cost and high-cost prosocial behaviors, described as being in the service of social justice, social activism,or volunteering on a between participants basis. Prosocial interest was highest for behaviors described as serving socialjustice purposes (Study 1). When the same prosocial behaviors were tied to specific social issues, interest in low-costprosocial behaviors were higher when they were described as serving social activism (Study 2). Black participants reportedmore activism interest than White participants in both studies, regardless of framing. Findings could inform best practicesfor garnering support for various social causes.

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