Political Psychology

Do Americans excuse political violence committed by their allies? A new experiment finds that while some bias exists, the severity of the crime is the strongest predictor of how harsh the punishment should be.

Researchers analyzing data from 18,000 respondents discovered that anxiety levels predict economic preferences as accurately as financial status. The link is strongest among those who lack a robust social safety net.

Geographic disparities in dementia may be rooted in the past. Researchers discovered that the political orientation of the state where a person grows up predicts their likelihood of developing cognitive decline decades later.

Both Republicans and Democrats who engage in “competitive victimhood” are more prone to endorsing policies that undermine democracy. A new study suggests this tendency is driven by a psychological process of viewing the opposing party as less than human.

A new study published in Science Advances shows that mass shootings increase voter turnout in the immediate vicinity of the event. However, while residents vote more, the tragedy rarely causes them to switch political parties.

A recent study indicates that political leanings are shaped by internal moral trade-offs. The findings suggest that conservatives tend to prioritize binding values like loyalty over individualizing values like care.

Evidence from the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology suggests that connecting identity to political stances promotes extremity. This suggests that voters choose radical candidates because extreme views tend to offer a more certain sense of self.

Research suggests the gap between actual and perceived political knowledge is smaller than thought. Most people know they don't know much.

Researchers found that political ideology shapes explicit attitudes but fails to alter the deep-seated, negative visual stereotypes people hold about those with fewer resources.

Scientists have discovered that progressives and traditional liberals hold strikingly different mental representations of J.K. Rowling.

U.S. legislators frequently scrub personal details from social media while preserving attacks on opponents. A new study suggests that deleting tweets is a strategic move to curate a professional, critical, and loyal political image.

New research finds that parents who want teachers to lead prayer are more likely to support arming school staff. The study suggests a cultural link between religious expression and gun-based security measures.

A new study links conservatism to a greater acceptance of slippery slope reasoning. The evidence suggests this association relies on intuitive thinking and predicts support for harsher criminal sentencing.

New experiments demonstrate that AI chatbots are better at changing minds than static media. Researchers found these systems rely on "information density" to persuade voters, often becoming less truthful in the process.

Do good looks hurt female politicians? Researchers analyzing German elections found no evidence of a “beauty is beastly effect.” In fact, physical attractiveness correlated with higher vote shares for both men and women.