Misunderstood Differences: Media, Perception, and Out-Group Animosity in Thailand

In high-conflict, politically divided, and democratically fragile environments like Thailand, affective polarization and social distrust can undermine the foundations of a health democracy and hinder economic development. We conducted an original survey in 2021 (N = 2,016) during intense political turmoil, uncovering deep out-group animosity between political camps. The cleavages are particularly prominent, revealing distrust and clashes in social values between generations. Our findings indicate that perceived, rather than actual, ideological differences significantly drive out-group animosity. Individuals with extreme political identities who get news from one-sided media outlets that align with their political beliefs—i.e., echo chambers—tend to exaggerate polarization and exhibit greater negative affect and distrust toward the opposite group. Our results show that out-group animosity and the impact of perceived differences are particularly strong in the political domain and could significantly affect the policymaking process.