Fostering Accurate Reasoning About Outgroups: Experimental Evidence From Intergroup Relation Frames on Conspiracy Beliefs Amid Sino–U.S. Tensions

In an era of intergroup tensions and conspiracy theories, our study examines whether threat-mitigation news frames can counter U.S. public beliefs in China-related conspiracy theories. Using a preregistered online survey experiment, we analyzed the effects of news articles that either emphasize or mitigate threats from China. Results show that threat-emphasizing frames did not heighten conspiracy beliefs, likely due to preexisting media framing. However, threat-mitigation frames effectively reduced conspiracy beliefs and improved factual understanding of China. This underscores the potential of responsible news reporting in fostering informed views, mitigating intergroup tensions.