A new report published in the journal Scientific Reports sheds light on the current state of democracy in the United States.
September 29, 2022
A new report published in the journal Scientific Reports sheds light on the current state of democracy in the United States.
The research by a University of Illinois Chicago social psychologist and colleagues shows that both Democrats and Republicans personally value core democratic principles, such as free and fair elections, but severely underestimate opposing party members’ support for those same characteristics.
Results of this biased underestimation are related to the willingness of individuals, particularly Republicans, to subvert democratic principles themselves, according to the researchers.
Michael Pasek, UIC assistant professor of psychology and the paper’s lead author, points out that for democratic norms to be strong, it’s not enough that people themselves value democratic principles. They must also believe that others—and particularly opposing party members—similarly value democratic principles.
« To the degree that people come to believe that their opponents don’t care about democracy, the prospect of political loss becomes untenable, and anti-democratic behaviors may come to be perceived as justified, even necessary, » Pasek said. « We think that there may be a, perhaps preventable, downward spiral of democratic practice rooted in psychological biases.
