ABSTRACT
Nearly all framing studies examine whether contrasting frames, when considered individually, can shift public opinion on an issue. 2 The typical experiment randomly assigns individuals to receive one of two alternative representations of an issue. For example, in studies of people’s willingness to allow hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan to conduct a rally, individuals learn of the issue framed either in terms of free speech (e.g., all groups have a right to speak) or in terms of public safety (e.g., rallies often lead to violent confrontations between the hate group and counter-demonstrators). In this case, the relevant comparison is the difference of opinion between individuals in the two conditions. Such studies employ one-sided designs insofar as the exclusive focus is on how exposure to a single frame affects opinions.
