Abstract
Currently two paradigms seek to explain how voters change their opinion when they are confronted with new information. One school argues that voters are bayesian updaters who rationally change their opinion. Another school argues that voters are inherently biased in their evaluation of new information. According to this line of thought voters are more likely to accept information that con_rms their opinion compared to information that contradict their point of view. Using a quasi experiment we investigate the extent to which voters rely on bayesian updating or
on motivated reasoning when changing their opinions. We show that environmental concerns are more likely to change for voters who are moderately interested in politics and voters who are not strong partisans.
on motivated reasoning when changing their opinions. We show that environmental concerns are more likely to change for voters who are moderately interested in politics and voters who are not strong partisans.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication date | 2014 |
| Number of pages | 23 |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
| Event | American Political Science Association, APSA Annual Meeting 2014 - Washington D.C., United States Duration: 28 Aug 2014 → 2 Sept 2014 |
Conference
| Conference | American Political Science Association, APSA Annual Meeting 2014 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Washington D.C. |
| Period | 28/08/2014 → 02/09/2014 |