Rural-to-urban migrant workers in China are a group who have significant impact on society. Studies have indicated that there is social stigma towards migrant workers. The goal of this study is to investigate the role narrative messages play in stigma communication to urban citizens. Based on a 2 (valence: positive or negative) × 2 (type: narrative or non-narrative) between-subjects factorial design, 305 participants were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions and one no-message control condition to assess their emotional reactions and stigma attitudes. The results showed that there are main effects of message valence on emotional reactions and stigma attitudes. Additionally, the effects of message type on stigma attitudes differed depending on message valence. There was a main effect of narrative message on stigma attitudes in positive conditions, while the effect was mediated by message believability in negative conditions. The results have both theoretical and practical implications. -- Abstract.
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