Documentary Film Improves Interethnic Relationship in Bangladeshi Polyethnic Villages
Many countries around the world struggle with tensions between different ethnic groups. These tensions can hold back minority groups, affecting their economic well-being. We investigated whether a documentary film on the lives and livelihoods of ethnic minorities could improve relations between two such ethnic groups with a long history of tension: the ethnic majority and minority groups in Bangladesh. We showed the film to ethnic majority households across 120 polyethnic villages, including well-connected people in village networks. The film made the majority group more prosocial towards the minority group. Notably, targeting well-connected people led to greater positive spillover effects, promoting prosocial behaviour towards the minority group among those who did not see the film. Interestingly, the film did not change pre-existing stereotypes among the majority group, but it did influence their emotions, making them more empathic towards the minority group, which in turn led to increased prosocial behaviour. These positive effects persisted, as shown by administrative data showing fewer complaints against ethnic minorities to the police.
To further test the film’s impact in a real-world work setting, we designed a field experiment where majority and minority group members collaborated to make paper bags for a local supplier. We found that members of the ethnic majority who were exposed to the film were more productive. This suggests that working harder can be a way of expressing prosociality towards a co-worker, potentially an attempt to raise their income. Overall, our findings suggest that informational films can encourage positive behaviour towards non-coethnics, leading to practical benefits in diverse communities.
