Information framing effects on students’ support towards equitable financial aid for undocumented students

Abstract

College students’ understanding of university policies holds great implications for inequity in education because it can influence their support of other minoritized students’ demands for more equal opportunities within their institutions. One factor that can affect this understanding is the framing of the policy of interest. This study examines the effect of group-focused frames (in-group advantage/out-group disadvantage) and legitimacy frames (legitimate/illegitimate inequality) on students’ support for equitable distribution of resources. After reading a text about the Pell Grant in one of the above four frames, undergraduate university students were asked about their intent to support changing the policy to allow undocumented student eligibility. Compared to reading an “out-group disadvantage/illegitimate” frame, which has been shown to predict support for the out-group, reading an “in-group advantage/legitimate” and an “out-group disadvantage/ legitimate” frame lowered students’ likelihood of supporting policy change while reading an “in-group advantage/illegitimate” frame did not show a difference. Results differed when we suggested policy change could decrease students’ group and personal financial aid and when we controlled for student demographics, employment and financial aid recipiency. We discuss implications for our understanding on how to best present information to advantaged students when advocating for equal opportunities.