What works to change attitudes in the media.

Negative attitudes are a root cause of the inequality faced by disabled people. The media plays a big role in influencing people's attitudes.

19% of disabled people told us that the media should be a priority when it comes to changing attitudes towards disabled people.

Our research has found that there remains a stubborn lack of understanding of disability, and negative attitudes towards disabled people are still far too common. From outright discrimination to more nuanced and subtle exclusion, disabled people experience negative attitudes in many parts of their lives.

We wanted to know what the media can do to improve attitudes towards disabled people. So, we teamed up with the Behavioural Insights Team to conduct some research.

We tested different campaign messages with 5,000 members of the public to find out which ones were the most effective.

Our research revealed the things that the media can do to improve negative attitudes towards disabled people.

Here’s what works:

• Affirm the status of disabled people. This challenges the negative stereotype of 'perceived incompetence'. The focus is not on an inspirational ‘overcoming’ of disability. It’s about fostering respect and preserving the dignity of disabled people.
  
  
• Share stories and personal experiences. Stories are persuasive and create an emotional connection. They can challenge people’s preconceptions and challenge stereotypes.
  
  
• Encourage people to think about how they would feel if they faced inequality. This isn’t asking people to imagine being disabled, but to imagine how they would feel if placed in an unfair situation.

• Be careful with how facts and figures are used to highlight injustice. Using statistics alone might make it difficult for the audience to relate to the experiences of disabled people. This can have an unintended negative impact on attitudes.

We brought together disability campaigners and 100 creative industry representatives to share our findings.

Scope ambassador Shani Dhanda hosted the event. We heard from disabled creator, comedian and educator Fats Timbo and disabled actor and model Ekow Otoo. They shared their experiences and discussed the importance of media representation.

Are you a media or creative industry professional? Read the full report to find out how you and your organisation can improve attitudes towards disabled people.