Who's More Biased, Conservatives or Progressives?

Saturday, November 2, 2024.

Political bias – every American’s favorite blind spot.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get juicier, new research says ideological bias is like a messy breakup: it gets way worse when you’re not the one calling the shots.

Turns out, when your political team isn’t in power, your dislike for “the other side” heats up faster than Thanksgiving leftovers.

So, are conservatives or progressives more biased?

According to this study, it’s not that simple. The real answer: It all depends on who’s currently in power.

This new insight comes courtesy of Johanna Woitzel and Alex Koch, two researchers who decided to put an end to the age-old argument about which side of the aisle is truly more “triggered.”

Spoiler alert: we’re all a little guilty.

Let’s dive into their findings, grab our popcorn, and see just how deeply we all fall into ideological beef when the political seesaw tips out of our favor.

The Real Question: Are Conservatives or Progressives Naturally More Prone to Drama?

For years, both sides have tossed this accusation back and forth like a game of ideological dodgeball.

Conservatives say progressives are the kings and queens of bias. Progressives claim conservatives are the undisputed champions of “stuck in their ways.” But here’s where Woitzel and Koch dropped their plot twist: maybe it’s not about which team we’re on but how much power we’re holding.

Their theory?

People aren’t necessarily more biased because of their ideology—they just get salty when their side’s not in charge.

And they didn’t stop there.

Woitzel and Koch took on a 50-year data challenge, looking at nearly half a century of political attitudes. (Apparently, they had some serious time on their hands.)

Digging Into 50 Years of Data: Turns Out We’ve Been Bias Queens for Decades

Woitzel and Koch used data from two heavy hitters: the American National Election Studies (ANES) and the newer Agency–Beliefs–Communion (ABC) model studies. They explored nearly 50 years of responses from ANES and more recent surveys from the ABC studies to track how ideological groups viewed each other.

ANES participants rated their ideological opponents on a “warmth-coldness” scale – yes, a literal temperature scale to measure just how “chilly” we feel toward the “other side.”

Spoiler: When our team isn’t in power, we’re dishing out the cold shoulder like it’s winter in the Rockies. The ABC model data doubled down, looking at trustworthiness, likability, and morality – all the fun stuff we love to judge in our ideological opposites.

They even created a “Political Power Index” to keep track of the political tug-of-war. With this, they discovered a trend that would make even the Grinch jealous:

Conservatives cranked up their bias during Democratic administrations, while progressives happily returned the favor whenever Republicans held the reins.

The Experiments: Testing How Ideological Bias Gets Its Groove On

As if sifting through half a century of data wasn’t enough, Woitzel and Koch wanted to see if they could poke ideological bias with a stick and watch it react.

So they ran a couple of experiments:

Does the Way We Measure Bias Matter? Nope, it doesn’t.

Regardless of whether they measured it narrowly (just political ideology) or broadly (including lifestyle choices and religion), participants still found a way to dislike each other. Woitzel and Koch were probably relieved to see that bias is remarkably consistent – no matter how you measure it, people love to throw shade when the “wrong” party’s in power.

Does It Matter Who’s in the Study? Also nope.

They tested a group of online participants and a nationally representative sample. Surprise, surprise, both groups were equally committed to their side-eyed views of each other.

They even took things up a notch by having participants imagine the worst-case scenario: “What if the other guys held total political power?” Like clockwork, participants’ ideological bias toward opposing groups spiked as they imagined this dystopian future of their political nemeses running the show.

Takeaway: Ideological Prejudice is Just a Mood Ring for Political Power

Woitzel and Koch found that our level of bias isn’t a matter of “which side is inherently better”; it’s more of a “my side’s not winning, so I’m going to throw some shade.”

The researchers put it best: “Our findings suggest that ideological prejudice is a reaction to political dynamics rather than a fixed feature of one side.” Translation? Ideological bias is basically a power play that reacts to who’s got their hands on the political wheel.

Real Talk: This Isn’t the Whole Story

Yes, political power fuels bias, but let’s not pretend it’s the only ingredient in our bias stew.

Woitzel and Koch acknowledged that things like economic downturns, social movements, and global crises also play their part in cooking up ideological animosity. (Imagine that bias brewing during a global pandemic – oh wait, we don’t have to imagine.)

And let’s keep in mind that this research is based on U.S. politics, where “winner-takes-all” is the name of the game.

If you’re in a country with a multi-party system, things might look different. So the next time you feel your blood boiling because of the “other side,” remember: it might just be the political season getting to you.

Be Well, Vote Kind, and Godspeed.

References

Woitzel, J., & Koch, A. (2024). Political Rule (vs. Opposition) Predicts Whether Ideological Prejudice Is Stronger in U.S. Conservatives or Progressives. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

American National Election Studies. (1972-2021). ANES Time Series Cumulative Data File. American National Election Studies.

Agency–Beliefs–Communion (ABC) Model Studies. (2016-2021). Journal of Social Psychology.