New research suggests that a psychological concept known as "the need for chaos" plays a bigger role than partisanship and ideology in the sharing of conspiracy theories on the internet. The study, published in Research & Politics, indicates that individuals...
A study published in PNAS Nexus suggests that economically progressive candidates could enhance their prospects in U.S. elections by framing their message using "binding values," which encompass notions of patriotism, family, and tradition. The research findings point to the potential...
An analysis of tweets of U.S. senators holding office between 2013 and 2021 showed that a specific communication factor called "greed communication" predicts their approval and reach on the social media platform. Democratic senators who used more greed communication tended...
A new study indicates that individuals who do not trust public health institutions were much more likely to have negative views of COVID-19 vaccines and to refuse to get vaccinated. This tendency persisted over time. Only 49% of participants of...
New research suggests that the spread of misinformation among politically devoted conservatives is influenced by identity-driven motives and may be resistant to fact-checks. These individuals tend to prioritize sharing information that aligns with their group identity, regardless of its accuracy....
During times of intense political disagreement, politicians sometimes abandon civility and resort to disrespectful behavior. But how does this impact public opinion? According to a study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, incivility doesn't attract public interest as previously...
A new study provides evidence that a reduced sense of control tends to increase support for leaders who use conspiratorial rhetoric, while an increased sense of control tends to reduce support for such leaders. The research also highlights the role...
Conservative consumers are more likely than their liberal counterparts to complain across various service contexts, according to new research published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology. The findings provide evidence for the role of entitlement in explaining ideological differences in...
A study conducted in Israel before the national elections in 2019 found that individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to participate in politics than individuals without ADHD symptoms. The findings held even after the researchers controlled for age,...
A recent study in Israel used brain scans to explore the differences in empathy between political liberals and conservatives. The researchers found that when imagining other people suffering, liberals showed stronger brain reactions associated with empathy compared to conservatives. This...
New research suggests that when White individuals feel their identity is under threat, they become more strongly attached to their White identity, leading to opposition to policies benefiting groups outside their own and increased support for policies benefiting their racial...
Recent research found a strong connection between social rigidity and cognitive rigidity, suggesting that inflexible thinking in one area tends to be associated with inflexible thinking in another. The study, published in Psychological Research, provides evidence that people who embrace...
New research published in Personality and Individual Differences examines the relationship between personality and resistance to conflicting political information. The study finds that while openness has no significant association, conscientiousness is linked to lower use of resistance strategies, extraversion is...
A recent study employed an innovative method to examine whether conservatives or liberals are better at discerning between true and fake news stories. The findings, published in Public Opinion Quarterly, suggests that both conservatives and liberals have their own weaknesses...
Those who felt disconnected from the LGBTQ community during Donald Trump's presidency were more likely to experience negative mental health outcomes compared to those who had an average level of connection to the community. In an unexpected finding, those who...