Denying Problems When We Don't Like the Political Solutions: Why Conservatives, Liberals Disagree So Vehemently

There may be a scientific answer for why conservatives and liberals disagree so vehemently over the existence of issues like climate change and specific types of crime.

A new study from Duke University finds that people will evaluate scientific evidence based on whether they view its policy implications as politically desirable.  If they don't, then they tend to deny the problem even exists.

"Logically, the proposed solution to a problem, such as an increase in government regulation or an extension of the free market, should not influence one's belief in the problem.  However, we find it does," said co-author Troy Campbell, a Ph.D. candidate at Duke's Fuqua School of Business.  "The cure can be more immediately threatening than the problem."

The study, "Solution Aversion: On the Relation Between Ideology and Motivated Disbelief," appears in the November issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Read More at Denying Problems When We Don't Like the Political Solutions:  Why Conservatives, Liberals Disagree So Vehemently