Both Democrats and Republicans personally value core democratic characteristics but severely underestimate opposing party members’ support for those same characteristics, tendency linked to for anti-democratic practices

Pasek, Michael H., Lee-Or A. Karlinsky, Alex Levy-Vene, and Samantha Moore-Berg. 2021. “Biased and Inaccurate Meta-perceptions About Out-partisans’ Support for Democratic Principles May Erode Democratic Norms.” PsyArXiv. September 2. doi:10.31234/osf.io/qjy6t

Abstract: Two studies (one preregistered) of Americans (N = 2,200) drawn from a nationally representative panel show that both Democrats and Republicans personally value core democratic characteristics but severely underestimate opposing party members’ support for those same characteristics. In turn, the tendency to believe that political ingroup members value democratic characteristics more than political outgroup members is associated with support for anti-democratic practices. Results suggest biased and inaccurate intergroup “meta-perceptions”—beliefs about what others believe—may contribute to democratic erosion in the United States.