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Is It Hot in Here? Or Is the Climate Changing?
How do you get people to understand that climate change is occurring? The question frustrates scientists and policymakers, who face a disbelieving public prone to discounting discomforting data. A...
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A Politicized Supreme Court Doesn’t Faze the Public?
This week, the Obama administration asked the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of the health care law that has divided the country (and, until now, federal appeals court judges). The...
View ArticleIs Conservatism Our Default Ideology?
According to a recent Gallup poll, 40 percent of Americans describe themselves as conservative, while only 21 percent call themselves liberal. (Another 35 percent are self-identified moderates.) This...
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Liberal, Conservative, or Charitable: Politics Underpins How We Give
To all the battles, big and small, between Democrats and Republicans, add this one: Who gives more to charity? Arthur Brooks, president of the conservative American Enterprise Institute, tried to...
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Red States, Blue States, Gray Matter
Ever wonder why your stance on such hot-button issues as immigration or gay marriage feels so self-evident, while someone else finds the opposite opinion so obviously correct? There are various reasons...
View ArticleRed ‘Facts,’ Blue ‘Facts’: The Psychology of Truthiness
Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s famous assertion that “You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts” seems increasingly quaint today, at a time when one person’s self-evident truth is...
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Why You’re Voting That Way
CLICK IMAGE FOR PDF(Designed by Column Five) As the election campaign heats up and attitudes harden, it’s worth remembering that our deeply held political beliefs—the ones that seem so self-evidently...
View ArticleHow to Raise a Little Liberal (or Conservative)
Parents: Do you find yourselves arguing with your adult children over who deserves to win the upcoming election? Does it confuse and frustrate you to realize your political viewpoints are so different?...
View ArticleSocial Networks Degrade Political Thinking
Plenty of research suggests having a strong, supportive social network has a positive impact on one’s health and well-being. But with an election approaching, it’s worth noting that this sort of...
View ArticleA Simple Way to Get Conservatives to Support Higher Taxes on the Rich
It is a fundamental fault line of contemporary American politics: Republicans adamantly oppose higher taxes on the wealthy, while Democrats consider such taxes a moral and fiscal imperative. This...
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America’s Increasingly Tribal Electorate
As another bitterly fought, closely contested presidential campaign comes to an end, the American electorate appears hopelessly conflicted. Even as we plead for compromise and bipartisanship in...
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On Moral Values, Liberals More Prone to Stereotype Than Conservatives
Those conservatives are appalling: They couldn’t care less if people get hurt. And liberals? They think anything goes, and have no concept of the meaning of loyalty. Caricatures? Absolutely. But such...
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Why Conservatives Prefer Walmart to Trader Joe’s
The cliché that liberals shop at Trader Joe’s, while conservatives prefer Walmart, is no doubt overstated. But where would the perception come from? Newly published research provides a compelling...
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How Much Does Ideology Matter in Elections?
Just how much does ideology matter in an election? In a recent article in Commentary, Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner argue that it matters a lot, to the point where it cost Mitt Romney the presidency:...
View ArticleLiberal Homeowners Use Less Electricity
It’s easy to preach about the importance of energy conservation. But are people in the left really willing to sacrifice personal comfort in the name of environmental protection? Newly published...
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Our Political Parties Have Polarized, But They Have a Lot Further to Go
Last week, I wrote up a post describing how the parties in Congress have polarized in part because they represent more ideologically distinct districts and states than they used to. I produced a chart...
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White or Black? Conservatives, Liberals See Faces Differently
Did you notice that mixed-race gentleman who passed you on the sidewalk yesterday? During the split second as he walked by, did he register in your mind as black or white? Disturbing new research...
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You’re Probably Not as Conservative as You Think
Conservatism the brand seems to be faring better than conservatism the philosophy. That’s the conclusion of new research that finds a serious disconnect between the way people under 30 identify...
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What Is Ideology?
Recently, Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz and John McTague posted an interesting piece here at Pacific Standard about the role of Jewish U.S. senators in promoting the acceptance of same-sex marriage among...
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There's No Place Like My Ideologically Homogeneous Home
Does your next-door neighbor vote the same way you do? How about the couple who live across the street, or your friends on the next block? The odds you answered “yes” or “probably” to those questions...
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