Researchers recruited 2,240 individuals for an experiment in which the participants answered questions about controversial political facts before and after being shown others' responses, and found that in contrast with polarization theory, responses became more accurate as a result of social influence, even among participants affiliated with the same political party, and even when participants were primed to stoke partisan bias, suggesting that information shared among politically homogenous networks can increase accuracy of beliefs and reduce polarization.
Article # 18-17195: "The wisdom of partisan crowds," by Joshua A. Becker, Ethan Porter, and Damon Centola.
MEDIA CONTACT: Joshua A. Becker, Northwestern University, IL; email: joshua.becker@kellogg.northwestern.edu
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences