Partisans sometimes see conflict where it doesn’t exist and assume the other side is more different than in reality. These recent studies show how perceived differences can fuel partisan divides, and how correcting them can help find common ground.
Partisans misperceive and are influenced by dynamic norms
Trystan Loustau, Ashley Fabrizio, Liane Young, Jordan Wylie & Stylianos Syropoulos. Political Psychology, vol. 47, 2026.
Democrats and Republicans often support the same issues without realizing it. When partisans learned this, they expected more common ground and feel warmer toward the other side.
From Bathrooms to Bag Fees: When Business Operations are Moral Battlegrounds
Isabella Kringlen, Grant E. Donnelly, Jimin Nam & Selin A. Malkoc. SSRN preprint, April 2026.
Business policies — from gender-neutral bathrooms to bag fees — are often adopted for practical reasons but seen by partisans as moral stances. Reframing the business policies as practical necessities can reduce partisan differences in how they react to the policies.
The role of partisan news and political parasocial relationships in shaping meta-perceptions: Cross-national evidence
Muhammad Ehab Rasul, Boaz Hameiri, Gila Hacohen, Nechumi Malovicki-Yaffe & Samantha L. Moore-Berg. Political Psychology, June 2026.
Partisans don’t just dislike the other side — they also assume the other side dislikes them more than it really does. When partisans were exposed to news from the other side, they had less negative assumptions of how the other side sees them.