Counterstereotypical Materials as a Method of Reducing Prejudice Toward Childfree People

Childfree people face prejudice, discrimination, and misunderstanding. This study explores three methods of reducing such prejudice based on video materials: counterstereotypicality (CS), exposition (EXPO), and counterstereotypical exposition (CS-EXPO). Prejudice was measured twice: first, in a pretest, and then in a posttest that followed the video material, two weeks afterwards. The study covered 192 participants (Mage = 30.18), with 46 to 50 participants in each condition (three experimental + one control). In all of the experimental conditions (but not in the control condition), the prejudice was lower in the Posttest, compared to the Pretest. Of the three conditions, the CS and CS-EXPO conditions had the largest effect. However, the results indicated no significant differences between the conditions. Practical implications for prejudice reduction campaigns are discussed.