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Misperceptions in Polarized Politics: The Role of Knowledge, Religiosity, and Media

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2014

Michael A. Cacciatore ,
Sara K. Yeo ,
Dietram A. Scheufele ,
Michael A. Xenos ,
Doo-Hun Choi ,
Dominique Brossard ,
Amy B. Becker  and
Elizabeth A. Corley
Michael A. Cacciatore
Affiliation:
University of Georgia
Sara K. Yeo
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Dietram A. Scheufele
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Michael A. Xenos
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Doo-Hun Choi
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Dominique Brossard
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Amy B. Becker
Affiliation:
Loyola University, Maryland
Elizabeth A. Corley
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
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Abstract

Many Americans hold distorted views of elected officials and, as our study shows, the blame is due partly to our ideological biases and partly to mass media. Analyzing a nationally representative online survey, we corroborate recent research that found that one in five Americans still believe president Barack Obama is a Muslim and that almost seven in ten mistakenly think Sarah Palin, and not Saturday Night Live’s Tina Fey, was the first to say “I can see Russia from my house.” Although race, political ideology, and “born-again” or evangelical Christian status were the primary drivers of misperceptions about Obama’s faith, media use had a more crucial role in predicting the more widespread misperception about Palin. Misattribution of the Fey quote to Palin was greatest among heavy viewers of traditional news media and late-night TV comedy, which is suggestive of the “lamestream media” effect often espoused by prominent Republican figures.

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Type
Features
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PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 47 , Issue 3 , July 2014 , pp. 654 - 661
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2014 

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