New research reveals that we’re more likely to dislike a random product if it’s associated with a political party with beliefs contrary to our own.
A new one published on Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin reveals that political polarization goes beyond voting behavior, subtly shaping everyday preferences. Research shows that people rate neutral products less favorably when associated with the political party they like least, a phenomenon called “political contamination”.
The study, led by Arvid Erlandsson of Linköping University in Sweden, explored how apolitical items such as chocolates and clothing are influenced by political associations.
In four experiments involving 3,985 participants, researchers found a “negative outgroup effect” – products linked to political parties that participants liked least were evaluated less favorably when his political associations were revealed.
In the first experiment, participants evaluated garments used by politicians from their preferred and least preferred parties. Clothing associated with politicians they disliked was rated significantly lower. A smaller “positive group effect” was also observed, with participants favoring articles associated with their preferred politicians.
The second experiment was extended to chocolatesa less relevant product in terms of identity. Participants rated chocolates less favorably when associated with their least favorite political party. Interestingly, the positive effect of group was weaker, which highlights the asymmetry in how political associations affect preferences.
A third experiment examined real financial decisions, with participants making donations to charities. Charities linked to less liked political parties received less funding, while those linked to favored parties did not see a significant increase.
The last experiment investigated the role of public versus private decision making. Participants were less likely to choose products linked to the party they liked least in public contexts, which suggests that reputational concerns amplify the negative effect of the outgroup. However, public observation did not increase the positive ingroup effect.
Research highlights the pervasive nature of affective polarization, in which individuals harbor distrust or aversion toward political outside groups. “Our study shows a new manifestation of political polarization: moving away from neutral and apolitical products”, explained Erlandsson.
Interestingly, while the negative outgroup effect was robust across experiments, the positive ingroup effect was weaker and less consistent. This asymmetry is in line with the findings that a negative political identity – opposition to a party one dislikes – is often stronger than a positive affiliation to a favored party.
