Mental DailyMental Daily
  • Clinical
  • Health
  • I/O
  • Cybernetic
  • Social
  • More
    • Opinion
    • My Bookmarks
Aa
Mental Daily
Aa
  • Clinical
  • Health
  • I/O
  • Cybernetic
  • Social
  • Opinion
Search
  • Clinical
  • Health
  • I/O
  • Cybernetic
  • Social
  • More
    • Opinion
    • My Bookmarks
Follow US
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Inc. Profile
  • Google Play Store
© 2022 - Mental Daily. All Rights Reserved.
Social

Researchers explore the possibility of abating political polarization among American voters

Staff Writer
Staff Writer 3 years ago
Updated 2020/04/03 at 11:31 PM
Share
SHARE

In an experiment from the previous U.S. presidential election cycle, researchers at McGill University set out to establish if influencing voters to minimize political polarization was a possibility.

The study, published in the journal PLOS One, used the top presidential candidates of both political parties to conduct an experiment on 136 American voters. In the experiment, researchers asked participants who attended a 2016 presidential debate to compare several traits of their favorite top candidate.

Traits such as vision, courage, and diplomatic skills were measured by each participant and scaled as either more evident in the Republican presidential nominee or the Democratic nominee.

Once the responses were gathered, researchers methodically manipulated the findings to make their responses appear more moderate than initially expressed.


According to researchers, almost all the participants, or 94%, were in accordance with the manipulated responses in which some even exhibited a sudden shift in political beliefs, leaning more towards the center as a result.

“I guess I fall somewhere in the middle — I’d like to think I’m a little moderate. I think at this point it’s important to be open-minded,” said one of the participants, after receiving their manipulated response from the survey.

Based on the findings, Jay Olson, one of the study’s co-authors, concluded: “Political surveys try to capture the attitudes of the public, but our study demonstrates that these can be heavily manipulated.”

“By making people believe that they wrote down different responses moments earlier, we were able to make them endorse and express less polarized political views,” Olson continued.

“These studies demonstrate how false feedback can powerfully shape the expression of political views. More generally, our findings reveal the potential for open-minded discussion even in a fundamentally divided political climate.”

Photo: worldatlas.com

You Might Also Like

Study explores how perceived motives of public diplomacy influence foreign public opinion

118th U.S. Congress makes history for its diverse representation: survey

Illegal migration at the U.S.-Mexico border remain at near record highs: study

Survey finds close to half of American teens have been bullied online

More Americans see their country’s global influence weakening than strengthening

TAGGED: Republicans, voting, Democrats, Politics
Staff Writer February 8, 2020
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Email Print
Previous Article Therapy through cyberspace considered effective for residual depressive symptoms
Next Article Neurons shaped by Pavlovian conditioning become more synchronized during learning & memory formation

Recommended

Social

Study explores how perceived motives of public diplomacy influence foreign public opinion

1 Min Read
Social

118th U.S. Congress makes history for its diverse representation: survey

1 Min Read
Social

Illegal migration at the U.S.-Mexico border remain at near record highs: study

1 Min Read
Social

Survey finds close to half of American teens have been bullied online

1 Min Read
//

We are a trusted online source for research news and resources on all aspects of the mind and human behavior.

Verticals

  • Clinical
  • Health
  • Social
  • I/O
  • Opinion

Social

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Inc. Profile
  • Google Play Store

Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • The Editor
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Follow US

© 2022 Mental Daily. All Rights Reserved.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Inc. Profile
  • Google Play Store

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?