Expressive Survey Responding: A Closer Look at the Evidence and Its Implications for American Democracy

Concerns about public opinion-based threats to American democracy are often tied evidence of partisan bias in factual perceptions. However, influential work on expressive survey responding suggests that many apparent instances such result from respondents insincerely reporting politically congenial views order gain psychological benefits. Importantly, these findings have been interpreted as “good news for democracy” because partisans who knowingly report incorrect beliefs surveys can act their correct the real world. We synthesize and commentary this matter, drawing two conclusions: (1) insincere divisive political matters is limited ambiguous (2) when experimental manipulations reduce reports beliefs, reported serve flexible interchangeable ways justifying largely stable allegiances guide behavior. The value acting commitments should be viewed a central feature context rather than methodological artifact surveys.