People who are afraid to take sides in contentious issues often end up being caught between two stools, losing the trust of all parties involved

Silver, I., & Shaw, A. (2022). When and why “staying out of it” backfires in moral and political disagreements. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. May 2022. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001201

Abstract: People care where others around them stand on contentious moral and political issues. Yet when faced with the prospect of taking sides and the possibility of alienating observers with whom they might disagree, actors often try to “stay out of it”—communicating that they would rather not to take a side at all. We demonstrate that despite its intuitive appeal for reducing conflict, opting not to take sides over moralized issues can harm trust, even relative to siding against an observer’s viewpoint outright. Across eleven experiments (N = 4,383) using controlled scenarios, real press video clips, and incentivized economic games, we find that attempts to stay out of the fray are often interpreted as deceptive and untrustworthy. When actors choose not to take sides, observers often ascribe concealed opposition, an attribution of strategic deception which provokes distrust and undermines real-stakes cooperation and partner choice. We further demonstrate that this effect arises only when staying out of it seems strategic: Actors who seem to hold genuine middle-ground beliefs or who lack incentives for impression management are not distrusted for avoiding conflict. People are often asked to take sides in moral and political disagreement. Our findings outline a reputational risk awaiting those who opt not to do so. 

Author's Perspective

What is it about?

When asked for their opinions about hot-button issues like COVID-19 policy, gun control, or LGBTQ+ rights, people sometimes choose to "stay out of it" by expressing a preference not to take sides at all. This research explores how we react to people who try not to take sides. Results from eleven experiments suggest that "staying out of it" can backfire. Although people expect that opting not to take sides can help them avoid charged moral conflicts, staying out of it often provokes distrust and disdain, sometimes more so than disagreeing with one's audience outright.

Why is it important?

Recent years have seen an explosion of concern about political polarization and ideological conflict, critical threats to a well-functioning democratic system. Our work helps to fill in the picture of social forces that encourage people to take sides, and it highlights a reputational risk awaiting those who try not to do so.