After 9/11 at Ground Zero: The Anxiety-Buffering Effects of Worldview Support on the First Anniversary of 9/11

A field experiment adjacent to the former World Trade Center in New York City on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks examined the prediction of terror management theory (TMT; Greenberg, Pyszcznyski, & Solomon, 1986) that individuals validate their cultural beliefs when exposed to subtle rather than overt death reminders. Participants (N = 410) who were exposed to a subtle reminder of 9/11 perceived more social consensus for their belief than those who were exposed to an overt one. Consistent with TMT, the pattern was especially strong for participants with the minority belief. The effect abated once the anniversary ended. The implications of this research and future directions are discussed.