The last few years have seen considerable debate around both the seemingly partisan nature of news coverage and the dissemination of misinformation that is so distorting the public discourse.  A new study from Ohio State University explores whether there is a connection between the two and whether people who consume partisan news coverage are more likely to be taken in by misinformation.

The researchers, who utilized data from the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections, believe that people who consume partisan news coverage tend to have stronger negative feelings towards their political opponents, with this strongly linked to a likelihood to believe misinformation about ‘the other side’.

“Partisan news outlets promote a feeling of animosity toward the other side and that animosity can help explain inaccurate beliefs,” the researchers explain.  “As people grow increasingly hostile towards those with whom they disagree, our study found they are more likely to believe false information about them.”

Covid response

It’s perhaps no surprise, therefore, that new research from Vanderbilt University reveals that political partisans also responded very differently to the Covid-19 crisis.  The study shows that the level of partisanship in a community is a stronger determinant of mobility than the prevalence of the virus itself in that community.

The study suggests that in spring 2020, both Democrats and Republicans showed broadly equal concern about the pandemic, with a corresponding commitment to reduce their social mobility to slow the spread of the virus.

Divergence appeared pretty quickly, however, with Republicans showing less concern by April, while Democrats remained stable throughout the year.  This reduced concern among Republicans corresponded with a faster return to normal social activities, with this return to normality happening regardless of the number or rate of infections in their community.

This resulted in a significant difference in activities between supporters of both parties, with Republicans engaged in twice as many social activities per day than Democrats by September.  It’s a situation that the researchers believe reflects the paucity of political leadership among senior Republicans.