Republicans much more likely to think Tylenol in pregnancy is tied to autism, no matter how the question is asked
Whether a poll asked if Tylenol “causes,” “increases the risk” of, or is “linked” to autism made little difference to how Americans answered, a new experiment finds. Political party mattered far more.
Three separate ways of phrasing a claim about Tylenol use during pregnancy and its potential link to autism yielded similar responses from the general public, according to a new study published in Scientific Reports. The researchers found that political party affiliation played a more significant role in shaping people's beliefs than the wording used in the survey questions.
Among the participants, Republicans were more likely to agree that Tylenol could increase the risk of autism, regardless of whether the poll presented the claim as a direct cause, a risk increase, or simply a link to the condition. This finding highlights how subtle differences in language can influence how people interpret scientific findings, even when the underlying data may not support a clear cause-and-effect relationship.
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