Abstract

Sectarian identity divides Lebanese society despite the fact that poverty and economic hardship cut across religious lines. This project tests whether correcting misperceptions about intergroup inequality can build cross-sectarian solidarity. In Lebanon, Christians are widely perceived as wealthy while Shia are perceived as poor — yet nationally representative data show that income distributions across the three major religious groups are remarkably similar. We leverage this finding to design and evaluate an informational intervention: a short video combining economic data and narrative storytelling that portrays three young Lebanese men — Christian, Sunni, and Shia — facing identical economic hardships. We will conduct a survey experiment (n = 3,300) in Greater Beirut to test whether exposure to this video increases support for redistribution, reduces sectarian political preferences, and spurs real-world, cross-sectarian civic engagement in partnership with three Lebanese civil society organizations. The project contributes direct evidence on when highlighting shared suffering builds social cohesion and spurs mobilization across group lines, with implications for practitioners designing intergroup cohesion interventions globally.

Field

Political Science, Economics

Extramural Partners

Harvard University, National Bureau of Economic Research, London School of Economics, Center for Monetary and Financial Studies (CEMFI), Citizens and Politics, The Gherbal Initiative, Adyan.