The “Charlie-Hebdo” Effect: Repercussions of the January 2015 Terrorist Attacks in France on Prejudice toward Immigrants and North-Africans, Social Dominance Orientation, and Attachment to the Principle of <i>Laïcité</i> <br/> [L’effet « Charlie-Hebdo » : Répercussions des attentats de Janvier 2015 en France sur les Préjugés à l’égard des Maghrébins, l’orientation à la Dominance Sociale et le degré d’attachement au Principe de Laïcité]
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5334/irsp.59Keywords:
Charlie Hebdo, terrorist attacks, prejudice, laïcité, social dominance, attentats, préjugés, dominance socialeAbstract
Between January 7 and 9, 2015, a succession of terrorist attacks in France shocked the whole world. Public reaction was strong, as was demonstrated by the huge turnout for the “marches for the Republic” held on January 10 and 11. The present paper is based on data collected from 162 participants just before the January 2015 attacks and during two successive two-week periods immediately after the attacks. Our objective was to determine whether the attacks led to an increase, even temporarily, in prejudice, social dominance orientation (SDO), and attachment to the principle of laïcité. Results showed a short-lived increase in prejudice against immigrants and North-Africans during the two weeks following the attacks, but no increase in SDO or attachment to the principle of laïcité. Contrary to our expectations, we found a substantial decrease in attachment to the principle of laïcité during the third data collection period (between two and four weeks after the attacks) compared with the first two periods. We discuss these results in the light of the social psychology literature on the effects of terrorist attacks on the perceptions and attitudes of citizens of the countries targeted.
Résumé
Les attaques terroristes perpétrées en France entre le 7 et le 9 janvier 2015 ont provoqué des réactions considérables dans le monde entier, notamment visibles dans les immenses « marches républicaines » des 10 et 11 janvier. Le présent article rapporte des données collectées auprès de 162 participants peu avant puis pendant le mois qui a suivi les attentats de janvier 2015, en différenciant les données récoltées après les attentats en deux périodes successives de 15 jours. L’objectif de la recherche était d’examiner si la survenue de ces attentats avait été suivie d’une augmentation plus ou moins temporaire du niveau de préjugés, d’orientation à la dominance sociale (ODS) et d’attachement au principe de laïcité. Les résultats ont révélé une augmentation des préjugés envers les immigrés et maghrébins uniquement dans la période immédiatement postérieure aux attentats. Aucune variation du niveau d’ODS et d’attachement au principe de laïcité n’a été observée durant cette période. Contrairement à nos attentes, la troisième période de mesure (entre deux et quatre semaines après les attentats) fait apparaître une diminution importante du niveau d’attachement au principe de laïcité comparativement aux deux périodes précédentes. Ces résultats sont discutés en relation avec la littérature psychosociale relative aux effets des attaques terroristes sur les perceptions et les attitudes des citoyens des pays visés.
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