Labels, stigma and policy: A proposal for a paradigm shift

This project examines how the wording of official labels shapes public attitudes and, in turn, public policy. Terms such as “homeless,” “people without a home,” or “people experiencing housing insecurity,” and labels like “blind” versus “visually impaired,” can change how groups are perceived and which people are seen as belonging to them. Many agencies now mandate newer terms to reduce stigma, assuming that new labels will soften negative attitudes and lessen harm.

The project challenges this assumption. It argues that new labels often seem less stigmatizing not because attitudes have improved, but because people interpret them as referring to a broader or different group that includes less extreme, less stereotyped cases. This can happen because people tend to assume that different words mark different categories, and because speakers usually choose a new term only when it signals something new or more relevant.

The research uses cross cultural experiments in the United States, France, and Hong Kong to test how label changes affect perceived group boundaries, stigma, and support for policies and resource allocation. The goal is to reveal potential unintended consequences of terminology changes and to show how evidence from psychology and related fields can more effectively guide policy decisions.

Key publications

Geipel, J. & Keysar, B. "Listening Speaks to our Intuition while Reading Promotes Analytic Thought", Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2022.
DOI:10.1037/xge0001316

Lau, B, K. Y., Geipel, J., & Keysar, B, "The Extreme Illusion of Understanding", Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 151, 2957–2962, 2022.
DOI: 10.1037/xge0001213