Integration of the Third-Person Effect and Uses and Gratifications: A Study of Negative News Media Coverage of Islam in Kuwait

Abstract The Third Person Effect ( tpe ) hypothesis postulates that individuals are likely to estimate that negative news media will have greater effects on others than on themselves. This study uses tpe to explore whether an individual’s religious predispositions and use of religious media influences the impact of negative news coverage on their perceptions of Islam. Furthermore, it tests whether religious predispositions, an individual’s use of religious media, and tpe influence a person’s support for censorship of negative media coverage of Islam. The researchers constructed two different scenarios in which differential estimates were used to evaluate the effect of tpe . The first scenario involved participants comparing the impact of negative news of Islam on others in society (close others) with the impact on themselves. In the second scenario, they compared the impact of negative news of Islam on Westerners (distant others) with the impact on themselves. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire administered to 652 Kuwaiti respondents. Results indicate that respondents perceive themselves to be less influenced by negative coverage of Islam than others in their society and Westerners. Religious predisposition and the “individual” use of religious media predicted a tpe contrast between the respondents and Westerners. Finally, religious predispositions, religious media use, and tpe contrasts between the respondents and Westerners predicted support for media censorship.