Study: Conservatives more likely to read opposing viewpoints than liberals
posted by Allahpundit
Hot Air blog
June 8, 2009
Further proof that we’re more open-minded. Or is it?
<<< People with stronger party affiliation, conservative political views, and greater interest in politics proved more likely to click on articles with opposing views, according to the Ohio State study.
“It appears that people with these characteristics are more confident in their views and so they’re more inclined to at least take a quick look at the counterarguments,” Knobloch-Westerwick noted…
The Brigham Young University survey found that journalists also tended to read liberal blogs - perhaps a reflection of journalists’ political beliefs, although even conservatives said liberal blogs were often better-written, Davis pointed out.
Among the political blog readers, a similar trend emerged in which “liberals read almost exclusively liberal blogs, but conservatives tend to read both,” Davis said.
Davis offered another possible explanation for this trend among blog readers. Conservative views dominate talk radio, and so conservatives may feel more satisfied by that outlet and are willing to check out opposing views on blogs. >>>
I prefer the “liberals are more likely to cocoon” explanation, but feel free to vote it out in the comments. Is this bravery, confidence, or media advantage at work? Given that every outlet except talk radio and Fox News is pushing Hopenchange on us, I’m guessing it’s not the last one. Exit question: Are lefty blogs better written? Be honest, notwithstanding the fact that my ego is on the line.
hotair.com |
