07-26-2019, 01:39 PM
More fodder for discussion. The point of this article has already been made on this thread, but maybe it will have more thunder coming from "experts."
Sorry, But Republicans and Democrats Do Not Misunderstand Each Other: A study saying they do exhibits a common problem with polls https://arcdigital.media/sorry-but-republicans-and-democrats-do-not-misunderstand-each-other-3c43e6f6498f
America is deeply divided, but maybe a lot is driven by misunderstanding. A new study from More in Common shows a large “Perception Gap,” with Democrats caricaturing Republicans, Republicans caricaturing Democrats, and both adamantly opposing those caricatures rather than real people.
Sounds promising, doesn’t it? Mutual misunderstanding is a problem we can address with better communication and education. The Perception Gap study received enthusiastic coverage from people who lament political polarization, including an Atlantic article by public opinion researcher Yascha Mounk.
But that’s not what More in Common’s evidence shows. And their error — which Mounk and others made as well — highlights a larger problem with public opinion research.
Polls have little value if what they’re asking isn’t clear. ...
The question of racism is more complicated. Republicans often use the word “racism” to mean overt behavior, such as shouting racial slurs, or enforcing Jim Crow laws. Democrats, by contrast, often mean something more expansive, ingrained, institutional — gaps in educational or occupational attainment, variations in interactions with police, subtleties of language.
Republicans and Democrats might not even be talking about the same people. A big 2017 study by PRRI found that 27 percent of Republicans believe blacks face “a lot of discrimination” compared to 43 percent who said whites do. By contrast, 87 percent of Democrats said blacks face a lot of discrimination, while only 19 percent said whites do.
Given these differences, asking “does racism still exist in America?” as a yes/no question tells us little about the parties.
Indeed.
Sorry, But Republicans and Democrats Do Not Misunderstand Each Other: A study saying they do exhibits a common problem with polls https://arcdigital.media/sorry-but-republicans-and-democrats-do-not-misunderstand-each-other-3c43e6f6498f
America is deeply divided, but maybe a lot is driven by misunderstanding. A new study from More in Common shows a large “Perception Gap,” with Democrats caricaturing Republicans, Republicans caricaturing Democrats, and both adamantly opposing those caricatures rather than real people.
Sounds promising, doesn’t it? Mutual misunderstanding is a problem we can address with better communication and education. The Perception Gap study received enthusiastic coverage from people who lament political polarization, including an Atlantic article by public opinion researcher Yascha Mounk.
But that’s not what More in Common’s evidence shows. And their error — which Mounk and others made as well — highlights a larger problem with public opinion research.
Polls have little value if what they’re asking isn’t clear. ...
The question of racism is more complicated. Republicans often use the word “racism” to mean overt behavior, such as shouting racial slurs, or enforcing Jim Crow laws. Democrats, by contrast, often mean something more expansive, ingrained, institutional — gaps in educational or occupational attainment, variations in interactions with police, subtleties of language.
Republicans and Democrats might not even be talking about the same people. A big 2017 study by PRRI found that 27 percent of Republicans believe blacks face “a lot of discrimination” compared to 43 percent who said whites do. By contrast, 87 percent of Democrats said blacks face a lot of discrimination, while only 19 percent said whites do.
Given these differences, asking “does racism still exist in America?” as a yes/no question tells us little about the parties.
Indeed.
![[Image: 4CV0TeR.png]](https://i.imgur.com/4CV0TeR.png)
