Partisan Differences in Information Go Beyond Incentives: Cheerleading vs. Natural Behavior?

This study examines partisan gaps in politically relevant facts using experiments with incentives.

Data & Methods:

• Experiments offered financial rewards for accurate survey answers;
• Respondents could search for information before responding;
• Compared results to web-browsing data from the same people.

Key Findings:

• Information divides are inflated by partisan cheerleading;
• However, these divides persist even with incentives and in natural settings (web browsing);
• Sincere motivated reasoning explains belief adoption across contexts.

Why It Matters:

Our results clarify the role of incentives versus genuine information-seeking preferences. They support the view that inaccurate partisan beliefs are driven by a preference for congruent evidence, indicating deep-rooted motivated reasoning rather than just manipulation.