Political Psychology

A regular diet of Fox News is strongly associated with white Americans embracing the Great Replacement Theory. By tracking viewers over time, researchers discovered that increasing media consumption directly correlates with rising support for the xenophobic conspiracy.

While authoritarianism is often associated with the political right, new research shows it exists on the extreme left, too. These rigid views are closely tied to a focus on social grievance and underlying psychological distress.

Decades after the Nazi regime, their propaganda still holds psychological power. A recent study reveals that viewing glorifying photos of Adolf Hitler softens the guilt and shame modern viewers feel about past atrocities.

Research published in Sociological Forum suggests that engaging in identity politics is associated with lower mental well-being. The findings indicate this focus might explain why political progressives report more depression and anxiety than their conservative peers.

A study published in Evolutionary Psychological Science found that people who endorsed more conservative social attitudes tended to report having more children across a large international sample, suggesting that these attitudes may be linked to contemporary reproductive patterns.

A newly published study challenges the idea that liberals and conservatives have inherently different worldviews, revealing that traits like cynicism and institutional trust flip dramatically depending on whose political party holds the White House.

Hostile political debate might have less to do with deep ideological divides and more to do with social status. A new study finds that young men frequently use moral outrage as a competitive tool to shame opponents.

A new study reveals a substantial decline in American support for transgender women competing in female sports. Researchers suggest conservative political messaging effectively reframed the issue.

The growing political divide between men and women might have roots in the family. A recent study shows that partnered fathers who worry about an impending divorce increasingly lose trust in democratic institutions over time.

Americans who leave Christianity adopt more progressive political views than those raised entirely without religion. A new study links this leftward shift to the amount of social threat these individuals perceive from conservative religious groups.

A recent psychology study suggests that political polarization over environmental policies is strongly linked to an underlying gap in objective, factual knowledge about the causes and consequences of climate change.

A person’s tendency to see secret plots strongly predicts their belief in political rumors. But new research suggests this trait has limits: people quickly dismiss conspiracies if the rumors make their own political allies look bad.

Artificial intelligence recently analyzed over half a million social science abstracts published since 1960. The results show a steady decline in political diversity, with academic research becoming increasingly left-leaning over the past six decades.

A new study in PNAS Nexus reveals that politicians who rely on personal insults gain massive media attention but fail to achieve better legislative or electoral success, suggesting some lawmakers prioritize national celebrity over traditional lawmaking duties.

A new study explores how supporters of Donald Trump maintain their loyalty despite serious allegations. The findings suggest psychological discomfort drives voters to deny accusations, prioritize political policies, or claim other politicians act similarly.