We usually think of political conservatives as the anti-science contingent, owing to their factions who deny, among other scientifically-verifiable facts, climate change and evolution. That may not be quite fair, as recent anti-vaccination arguments have often come from those who identify with the left. And new research suggests that, in fact, when it comes to scientific bias, we’re all equally foolish. In other words? Anti-science thinking is a bipartisan issue.
According to new research from political scientists at Ohio State University, both the right and the left exhibit biases against scientific facts that don’t support their own political views. The researchers found that individuals on both the left and the right express distrust in science when it comes to certain politically-charged issues.
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“We all have biases that shaped our perceptions, and that influence our acceptance or rejection of scientific information,” Nisbet concluded. “We should not demonize others who may differ in their values or beliefs. There is little to be gained
from labeling a party ‘anti-science.'”
The findings will be published in March in the journal The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.
