Citation

Jang SM. Media Psychol. 2019; 22(2): 298-322.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15213269.2017.1421471

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Fear-inducing communication is commonly adopted in the public domain. For example, advocates of gun control have believed that the tragic cases of mass shooting would be an effective persuasive tool to draw favorable public opinion about gun control policies. However, this assumption does not meet reality. Despite a rash of mass shootings over the past 2 decades, public support for gun regulation has continued to decline. To resolve this dilemma, this article conducted 3 experiments and provided compelling explanations of how threatening shooting stories generated the unintended effects. In line with the terror management theory, the moderated mediation model showed that shooting stories produced partisan polarization on gun policies. Theoretical and practical implications of fear-inducing messages are discussed.

Language: en