The relationship between newspaper reading preferences and attitudes towards autism

TL;DR

Reading right-leaning tabloids is linked to more negative unconscious attitudes towards autism, even if explicit views remain positive.

Contribution

This study reveals a novel connection between media consumption and implicit biases toward autism.

Findings

Selective engagement with right-leaning tabloids correlates with more negative implicit attitudes toward autism.

Higher trust in these outlets is linked to relatively favorable explicit but negative implicit attitudes.

Overall trust in newspapers is associated with less accurate autism knowledge.

Abstract

Newspapers – particularly certain tabloid and right-leaning publications – often perpetuate negative stereotypes of Autistic people. This study examined how newspaper reading preferences relate to public attitudes towards autism. A sample of 277 UK-based non-autistic adults completed an online survey reporting demographic information, newspaper reading habits (print or online) and trustworthiness ratings for 10 major British newspapers. Participants also completed measures of autism-related knowledge and explicit attitudes towards autism, and an implicit bias task. Data were analysed using generalized additive models weighted by newspaper exposure, along with hierarchical partitioning to estimate the variance explained by reading preferences and other factors. Newspaper-related factors accounted for 4.5% of the variance in explicit attitudes and 10.7% in implicit attitudes. Crucially, selective engagement with right-leaning tabloids was associated with more negative implicit attitudes. Furthermore, selective trust in these outlets predicted relatively favourable explicit but relatively negative implicit attitudes. Overall trust in newspapers was also linked to less accurate autism knowledge. These findings suggest that engagement with media sources portraying autism more negatively is linked to more negative implicit biases towards Autistic people, even when explicit attitudes remain relatively favourable. Future research should explore causal mechanisms and the broader influence of media ecosystems on public perceptions of autism.

When newspapers discuss Autistic people, they often focus on their challenges rather than their strengths. This kind of reporting – especially in some tabloids and right-leaning newspapers – can reinforce negative stereotypes, making it harder to build a more inclusive society for Autistic people. However, we do not yet fully understand how newspaper coverage relates to neurotypical people’s attitudes towards autism, particularly when considering their background, knowledge of autism and personal experiences with Autistic people. This study investigated whether there is a connection between the newspapers people read and trust, and their feelings about autism. We examined both openly expressed opinions (explicit attitudes) and more instinctive, less conscious reactions (implicit attitudes). We surveyed 277 non-autistic adults in the United Kingdom. Participants reported how often they read 10 major British newspapers (in print or online) and how much they trusted them. They also answered questions about their knowledge of autism and their attitudes towards Autistic people. In addition, participants completed a short word-based task designed to reveal more subtle, instinctive responses. The results showed that individuals who regularly read right-leaning tabloids – which more frequently feature negative coverage of autism – tended to display more negative automatic responses towards autism. Interestingly, some participants who highly trusted these outlets expressed relatively positive explicit views, while their task responses suggested they might still hold relatively negative unconscious biases. Finally, greater overall trust in newspapers was linked to lower levels of autism knowledge. Taken together, these findings highlight a potential relationship between the media we consume and trust and not only what we know, believe and openly say about autism, but also our deeper, less conscious attitudes and reactions. While this study does not prove that news media directly shape or cause changes in attitudes, it underscores the importance of respectful, balanced reporting in fostering greater understanding and acceptance of Autistic people.

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