Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/248731 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
WZB Discussion Paper No. SP II 2021-306
Publisher: 
Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB), Berlin
Abstract: 
We study the causal relationship between moral values ("ought" statements) and factual beliefs ("is" statements) and show that, contrary to predictions of orthodox Bayesian models, values exert an influence on beliefs. This effect is mediated by prior political leanings and, thus, contributes to increasing polarization in beliefs about facts. We study this process of motivated political reasoning in a preregistered online experiment with a nationally representative sample of 1,500 individuals in the US. Additionally, we show that subjects do not distort their beliefs in response to financial incentives to do so, suggesting that deep values exert a stronger motivational force.
Subjects: 
Motivated Beliefs
Values
Polarization
Experiment
JEL: 
C90
D72
D74
D83
P16
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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