The gulf between how Democrats and Republicans interpret political events has become a central feature of American politics over the last fifty years.
In the December issue of Political Psychology, a new study investigates how partisan groups respond to changes in economic performance when either party is in power, examining whether or not these objective measures of change are viewed in an unbiased way.
Drawing on monthly presidential approval data from 1955-2005, the study finds that partisans of both parties view objective measures of economic performance selectively. When their party is in power, Democrats and Republicans overlook upturns and downturns, maintaining positive views of their party’s performance.
Significantly, this trend is reversed when the other party is in power. While partisans do use economic changes to influence negative perceptions of the president, they also use these changes to affect positive perceptions. “In short, the blind loyalty of the president’s partisans seems more resistant to change than is the blind hostility of his opponents,” says Matthew J. Lebo, co-author of the study.
The study also finds evidence that Independents change their approval ratings more rationally than either Democrats or Republicans, rewarding both parties for positive news, particularly regarding unemployment.
“Partisan groups may not respond in the most normatively desirable fashion, but the fact that they do so at all is a source of optimism,” conclude the authors. “Indeed, it is encouraging that the negative mind-set towards presidents of the opposition party is not so strong that bias makes improvement in his standing impossible.”-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Comment and add to the story without registration, but keep the comments meaningful please. Links are not accepted.
