Rethinking Messages for Social Equity: How Word Choice Affects Policy Support

Messages matter when it comes to social equity. Researchers wanted to see if telling people about racial disparities in child tax credit (CTC) policies might actually hurt support for these policies. They did two experiments, one with a big bunch of people from Prolific and another with an even bigger group from SSRS. Both groups had people from different races and political views. The first test compared six different messages and picked the best ones to use again. The second test compared two main messages: one that said the policy helped all kids, and another that highlighted extra benefits for Black and Hispanic kids. They looked at how many people supported the policy and how many wanted to advocate for it. The interesting part? Both special messages got more support and interest from Black and Hispanic respondents. Even the universal message, which said it helped all kids, got White folks on board. The message that talked about extra benefits for some didn't scare off White or Republican folks either. So, it turns out, if you design messages right, you can get folks from all backgrounds to support a policy that helps everyone.