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The use of blanket terms in politics may exacerbate political division, a new study suggests. Statements such as “Democrats want to have stricter gun laws” and “Republicans want to ban abortion,” can heighten perceived differences between the two political parties, the study says.
Researchers from the University of Michigan, Columbia University and Stony Brook University studied political polarization due to people making broad generalizations about certain groups based on inconsistent evidence. In three studies with 1,767 adults, they measured the interpretation, endorsement, and recall of statements, also known as generics. The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In one survey, people were asked whether they agreed with a series of general statements about Democrats and Republicans. The findings show that even when people believe that Republicans and Democrats differ little in their support for a policy, they still accept and reject general claims that place Republicans and Democrats in opposite categories.
For example, Republicans and Democrats think the federal income tax they pay is too high (57% and 51%, respectively). But people usually make opposing general claims: that Republicans think the federal income tax they pay is too high, while Democrats don’t.
The researchers also found that people tend to misremember statements as general when those statements were originally stated in a more subtle way. In one study, participants saw sentences using “many” and “some.” Those who read “Many Ohio farmers depend on trade” tended to later remember it as “Ohio farmers depend on trade.”
“This suggests that even if politicians are careful to use more nuanced language, people will often remember their claims as general, and therefore draw polarized conclusions,” said study co-author Susan Gelman, professor of psychology and in linguistics at UM.
Finally, the researchers found that general statements about Democrats and Republicans increase how far apart people believe the two parties are. When people read a blanket statement with new information for either a Democrat or a Republican, they assume it doesn’t apply to the other party.
Overall, the study’s results show that people mentally hold political claims that exaggerate differences between parties, which is intensified when those claims are expressed in general language.
More information:
Gustavo Novoa et al, Party General: Polarization in Political Communication, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2309361120
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences