engleski

Preliminary analysis of ideological polarization over science facts and empirical evidence

Purpose: Our aim is to investigate which issues are ideologically partisan and examine the relative roles of ideology and cognitive sophistication in acceptance of scientific facts and related forms of empirical evidence. Background: There has been deepening concern about ideological polarization in public attitudes toward different scientific issues. It is undeniable that divergence in attitudes and beliefs is part of a democratic society, but when significant sections of society reject empirical and scientific knowledge and governments make important political decisions based on questionable "science", the detrimental consequences for public policy and social well-being are never far away. Methods: Correlational study based on an ongoing online survey with a convenient Croatian adult sample of approximately 500 individuals aged 18-75 years. Investigated variables encompass multiple science-related beliefs (from anthropogenic global warming, heritability to antibiotics), two ideological factors (socio-political orientation, religiosity) and two indicators of cognitive sophistication (cognitive reflection, open-minded thinking). To address our aim, we have planned to conduct correlational and multivariate regression analyses of science attitudes as dependent variables and ideological factors and measure of cognitive sophistication as predictors. Results and conclusions: The results are expected to highlight the complexity of the factors that determine the acceptance of particular scientific facts and contribute to elucidating why people hold anti-science beliefs and what factors lead to a more polarized society. We will discuss obtained results in light of the two competing accounts referred to as expressive rationality (or identity-protective reasoning) account and bounded rationality account.

science attitudes ; ideology ; cognitive sophistication ; polarization

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