{
  "id": 17869742,
  "title": "Voters vastly underestimate the open-mindedness of their political rivals",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/voters-vastly-underestimate-the-open-mindedness-of-their-political",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-02T23:00:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PsyPost",
    "slug": "psypost",
    "url": "https://www.psypost.org/people-assume-their-political-opponents-are-closed-minded-but-correcting-this-il/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Recent research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology suggests that voters often underestimate the open-mindedness of their political opponents. A team of psychologists from the University of Lisbon and Linköping University found that individuals tend to view those who support opposing political parties as completely unwilling to listen to different viewpoints. This perception leads them to avoid engaging in conversations with political rivals, contributing to political polarization and social conflict. However, the study also reveals that correcting these misperceptions can encourage people to engage in political discussions, making them more willing to talk across party lines.",
  "summary": "People widely assume their political opponents are completely closed off to opposing viewpoints. A new study shows that correcting this misperception makes individuals much more willing to engage in conversation across party lines.",
  "key_points": [
    "Voters underestimate open-mindedness of political rivals",
    "Perceived unwillingness to listen leads to avoidance of conversations",
    "Correcting misperceptions encourages political discussions"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}