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

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 roote...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPolitical psychology Vol. 38; no. S1; pp. 127 - 150
Main Authors Flynn, D.J., Nyhan, Brendan, Reifler, Jason
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.02.2017
Subjects
corrections
Effectiveness
experiments
misinformation
misperceptions
motivated reasoning
Perceptions
Politics
Public opinion
Social psychology
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0162-895X
1467-9221
DOI:10.1111/pops.12394