Anthony Fowler, University of Chicago

Learning from the Opposition
Anthony Fowler, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago
William Howell, Harris School of Public Policy and Department of Political Science, University of Chicago

Abstract: These are polarized times, we are told, ones in which learning and persuasion across party lines are nearly impossible. A number of influential studies report that Americans have become so partisan that they respond negatively to arguments advanced by their political opponents, eager to differentiate themselves from people with whom they do not only disagree, but who they actively despise. In this paper, we show that the findings supporting these bleak conclusions derive from incomplete experimental designs and a particular measurement strategy. In our own experiments that vary information about both parties’ positions simultaneously and that solicit continuous, rather than discrete, policy positions, we find that even the most committed partisans positively update their beliefs in response to positions from the opposition party. Partisans are not resolutely committed to disagreement, per se. Rather, they openly consider information and arguments from their opponents.