Country Animosity and the Role of Media

Abstract

Wars, conflicts, and other incidents between countries may give rise to feelings of animosity towards a given country that affect consumption choices. These negative feelings may also have roots on more general concerns regarding ideological differences, government policies, or human rights violations, and they may be supported by the broadcast of news by the media. Therefore, this study is aimed at obtaining a better understanding of the causes that may lead individuals to harbor feelings of animosity towards a particular country, with important potential consequences for tourism. In addition, the portrayal of the most disliked countries in the mainstream media is analyzed to better comprehend the influence that the media has on the formation of these negative feelings. According to the findings, the most important reasons why individuals dislike certain countries include the perception of the place as having a high degree of criminality or terrorism, the negative opinion concerning violation of human rights, and the dislike of the political system and the country's leader. These are also the topics that are mostly mentioned in the news concerning the specific countries analyzed.