Can ideology beat facts?

We usually believe that people collect information before making important decisions, for example - for whom to vote, but the truth is that this is usually not the case. Not having the right information is one thing, but people constantly misinforming themselves are another matter entirely. If recent studies by political scientists are true, attempts to change someone’s position often simply lead to its strengthening.



In 2003, large-scale studies were conducted in America. Political scientists wanted to find out what information the population receives about the war in Iraq and the terrorist attacks of September 11, and how it interprets it. It turned out that viewers of some channels (for example Fox news) were informed much worse than the “average viewer”. But this is not the main conclusion of the researchers.



Most psychologists will tell you that it is impossible to convince an adult. You can make him agree with you - but no more. But what if, instead of persuasion, it’s just to give people the facts and let them draw their own conclusions?



Studies have shown a sad picture. Many people interpret the facts so as to assert their point of view. Only about ten percent of people persuade a refutation (even a logical one) of incorrect facts. The rest hold on to their opinion further.

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The experiment was conducted by two scientists - (Brendan Nyhan, Jason Reifler, 2003) and was as follows. The test subjects were shown specially prepared news blocks with inaccuracies, which were later corrected in the same “release”. Mostly researchers divided people by political affiliation - Republicans and Democrats. It turned out that information contrary to political convictions was simply not taken into account; attempts to counterpose the facts of ideology led to its strengthening. And it was not just a persuasion, but a real cognitive dissonance - people with the help of logic and facts proved the inconsistency of their position. As a result, out of every 80 subjects who believed in the wrong information, only 8 changed their opinions.



These findings, if confirmed by other groups of scientists, lead to alarming conclusions. Logical evidence means nothing to most people, and arguing with a person who has a different point of view is simply useless, no matter what method you use.



Source: Mechanical World