title: Durably reducing transphobia: A field experiment on door-to-door canvassing.
abstract: Existing research depicts intergroup prejudices as deeply ingrained, requiring intense intervention to lastingly reduce. Here, we show that a single approximately 10-minute conversation encouraging actively taking the perspective of others can markedly reduce prejudice for at least 3 months. We illustrate this potential with a door-to-door canvassing intervention in South Florida targeting antitransgender prejudice. Despite declines in homophobia, transphobia remains pervasive. For the intervention, 56 canvassers went door to door encouraging active perspective-taking with 501 voters at voters' doorsteps. A randomized trial found that these conversations substantially reduced transphobia, with decreases greater than Americans' average decrease in homophobia from 1998 to 2012. These effects persisted for 3 months, and both transgender and nontransgender canvassers were effective. The intervention also increased support for a nondiscrimination law, even after exposing voters to counterarguments.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. dbroockman@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Broockman
authors.affiliation: Department of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kalla
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D063509:Homophobia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011057:Politics; D011897:Random Allocation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D063106:Transgender Persons