Sunday, September 28, 2025
Science
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News Bussines

No room for nuance in polarized political climate: SFU study

August 6, 2024
in Bussines
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
No room for nuance in polarized political climate: SFU study
66
SHARES
603
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

Sometimes you just can’t win, and that goes double for people navigating the increasingly polarized political landscape in the United States.

Sometimes you just can’t win, and that goes double for people navigating the increasingly polarized political landscape in the United States.

Having nuanced opinions of politics in the U.S. turns out to be a very lonely, and unpopular, road, according to a recent study from a research team that includes assistant professor Aviva Phillipp-Muller from Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business.
 
Published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, the study found that people who express ambivalence about political topics – ranging from COVID-19 mask mandates, immigration and the death penalty – were not only disliked by people who disagreed with their view, but they also were less liked by people who agreed with their overall position but feel their position isn’t strong enough.
 
“The study exposes a mismatch between expectation and social reality,” says Aviva Phillipp-Muller. “Taking a nuanced position on political issues and coming to a middle ground might seem like a sensible way to bridge political divides, which is what participants in our study expected, but the reality is political polarization has turned those kinds of stances into a social disincentive.”
 
Phillipp-Muller was part of team of researchers from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, DePaul University and Ohio State University that surveyed more than 1,000 Americans on their opinions of several political issues and measured their agreement with different pro- and con- arguments on the issue to assess what side they fell on and if they were more or less ambivalent towards those views.
 
According to the study, ambivalence does not preclude people from taking an overall position on one side or another, but is determined when people can accept points to both sides of an argument or do not wholeheartedly agree with all supporting points for a position.
 
The research team ran an experiment looking at what people thought of those with different political opinions.
 
Contrary to participants’ expectations, people expressing ambivalence about political issues can undermine how well a person is liked, to the point of sharing nuanced opinion being a social risk. 

Not only were ambivalent people disliked more by those who had different political opinion as them, they also proved to be unpopular with people who largely held the same beliefs.
 
For example, people might view ambivalent targets as lacking conviction or undermining their side’s ability to pursue important political goals (in other words, “win”) without compromise.
 
The study offers insight in the interpersonal dynamics of political polarization and the ramifications could be chilling.
 
The authors say that while people who hold nuanced opinions might think their measured take might be well-received by others, they could actually experience social costs that deter them from expressing their views.
This, the study warns, could leave “the political arena to more extreme actors on all sides.”
 
“We are next hoping to look at whether nuance ever leads to social benefits,” says Phillip-Muller. “For example, outside of political domain, when talking about brand preferences or other personal choices, can there ever be an upside to expressing ambivalence?”
 

AVAILABLE SFU EXPERTS

AVIVA PHILLIPP-MULLER, assistant professor, marketing, Beedie School of Business 
aviva_philipp-muller@sfu.ca

CONTACT

MATT KIELTYKA, SFU Communications & Marketing 
236.880.2187 | matt_kieltyka@sfu.ca

Simon Fraser University 
Communications & Marketing | SFU Media Experts Directory
778.782.3210

ABOUT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Who We Are
As Canada’s engaged university, SFU works with communities, organizations and partners to create, share and embrace knowledge that improves life and generates real change. We deliver a world-class education with lifelong value that shapes change-makers, visionaries and problem-solvers. We connect research and innovation to entrepreneurship and industry to deliver sustainable, relevant solutions to today’s problems. With campuses in British Columbia’s three largest cities—Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey—SFU has eight faculties that deliver 364 undergraduate degree programs and 149 graduate degree programs to more than 37,000 students. The university now boasts more than 180,000 alumni residing in 145+ countries.



Journal

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

DOI

10.1016/j.jesp.2024.104631

Article Title

Endorsing both sides, pleasing neither: Ambivalent individuals face unexpected social costs in political conflicts

Article Publication Date

23-May-2024

Share26Tweet17
Previous Post

People’s moral values change with the seasons

Next Post

The prescription for a healthier democracy

Related Posts

blank
Bussines

Evaluating Benefit-Risk Reporting in FDA-Cleared AI-Enabled Medical Devices

September 26, 2025
blank
Bussines

Survey Finds 60% of Shoppers Reduce or Avoid Beef Consumption Amid Rising Prices

September 25, 2025
blank
Bussines

Robot or Human? It Depends on the Situation, Large Study Reveals

September 25, 2025
blank
Bussines

Fraud protection system mistakenly flags thousands of innocent banking customers

September 25, 2025
blank
Bussines

Funding research for a cause? Don’t chase the wrong leads.

September 24, 2025
blank
Bussines

Widespread UK Public Backing for Stricter Regulations on Advertising High-Carbon Products and Services

September 24, 2025
Next Post
The prescription for a healthier democracy

The prescription for a healthier democracy

  • Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    27560 shares
    Share 11021 Tweet 6888
  • University of Seville Breaks 120-Year-Old Mystery, Revises a Key Einstein Concept

    969 shares
    Share 388 Tweet 242
  • Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

    646 shares
    Share 258 Tweet 162
  • Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

    512 shares
    Share 205 Tweet 128
  • Groundbreaking Clinical Trial Reveals Lubiprostone Enhances Kidney Function

    471 shares
    Share 188 Tweet 118
Science

Embark on a thrilling journey of discovery with Scienmag.com—your ultimate source for cutting-edge breakthroughs. Immerse yourself in a world where curiosity knows no limits and tomorrow’s possibilities become today’s reality!

RECENT NEWS

  • Remote Sensing Evaluates Ghana’s Mine Tailings Ponds
  • At-Home Monitoring Reduces Hospitalization Rates for Children with Asthma by 50%
  • Specialized Singing Programs Enhance Symptoms and Quality of Life for Individuals with Lung Disease
  • Resonant Anomalies: NPLM Detects Robustly.

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Athmospheric
  • Biology
  • Blog
  • Bussines
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Climate
  • Earth Science
  • Marine
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Pediatry
  • Policy
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Science Education
  • Social Science
  • Space
  • Technology and Engineering

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 5,184 other subscribers

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Discover more from Science

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading