Fox News must certainly understand the research demonstrating that an amplified sense of threat is associated with increased support for in-groups and fear of out-groups. When Fox runs stories with themes like “immigrants are going to take your jobs,” “[this or that city] is crime-ridden and dangerous,” “ISIS is a threat to Americans,” and “Democrats are going to take your guns,” they aren’t only building support for those issues. They’re also creating the conditions under which groups become more polarized.
