A study indicates that Democrats and Republicans both significantly overestimate the extent to which the opposing party condones universally condemned immoral acts, such as theft or animal abuse. This misjudgment contributes to increasing political hostility and dehumanization, with Americans today displaying more animosity toward the opposing party than loyalty to their own.

The study published in PNAS Nexus explored this “basic morality bias” by analyzing social media posts from 5,806 political partisans. They identified a rise in terms like “pedophile” and “homicidal” in political discussions on Twitter (now X) since 2016.

An online survey involving 240 Democrats and 106 Republicans revealed that respondents greatly overestimated their opponents’ approval of unmistakably immoral behaviors. This pattern continued in a follow-up study that financially incentivized accurate responses.

Another study with 202 students and community members from the southeastern United States found that learning a political opponent condemns basic moral wrongs reduced the likelihood of dehumanizing them and slightly increased interest in cross-partisan engagement.

The problem politics, whether national or international, is not your opposing party. The problem is your biases and refusal to take the time to understand some and blindly hate the other group. The problem isn’t them, it’s you and your perception things.

it is far more important how one overcomes their own biases rather than worrying about someone else’s. With that said, it is highly encouraged that people listen to each other rather than make evil assumptions about other through blind hate and name calling.

C Puryear et al. People believe political opponents accept blatant moral wrongs, fueling partisan divides. PNAS Nexus (2024). https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae244