The Nature and Origins of Misperceptions: Understanding False and Unsupported Beliefs About Politics

2017/01/26 by D.J. Flynn, Brendan Nyhan, Jason Reifler · 1 voice · 54 citations
Social Sciences · #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Social Media and Politics #Social and Intergroup Psychology

paper · doi:10.1111/pops.12394

openalex publication_date 2017/01/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22

Abstract

Political misperceptions can distort public debate and undermine people's ability to form meaningful opinions. Why do people often hold these false or unsupported beliefs, and why is it sometimes so difficult to convince them otherwise? We argue that political misperceptions are typically rooted in directionally motivated reasoning, which limits the effectiveness of corrective information about controversial issues and political figures. We discuss factors known to affect the prevalence of directionally motivated reasoning and assess strategies for accurately measuring misperceptions in surveys. Finally, we address the normative implications of misperceptions for democracy and suggest important topics for future research.

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Discussions

• I suppose this might be similar to what is shown here: doi.org/10.1111/pops... However, is there any psychologist/neuroscientist and people working with studies one climate change perception on the r [bsky, 3 points, 0 comments]

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