Many of our political opinions and attitudes are determined by how we perceive the political world. Some claim that we live in the “post-truth era” (Keyes 2004), where facts are often trumped by gut-level feelings and perceptions. These perceptions are driven in part by messages and rhetoric emanating from the mass media and political actors (Zaller 1992, 1996). But political perceptions also have roots in a variety of understudied processes such as people’s physiological responses and brain physiology (Oxley et al. 2008; Amodio et al. 2007).
Responsables: Patrick Fournier, Stuart Soroka
Researchers involved: Patrick Fournier, Éric Bélanger, Pénélope Daignault, Arnaud Dellis, Claire Durand, Benjamin Forest, Elisabeth Gidengil, Mebs Kanji, Richard Nadeau, Dietlind Stolle
Research projects:
- The influence of political rhetoric: the British referendum on EU membership – Éric Bélanger, Richard Nadeau
- The neurological bases of reflective choices – Dietlind Stolle, Lesley Fellows, Elisabeth Gidengil
- En quête de validité : Les mesures de saillance personnelle sous la loupe des instruments physiologiques – Pénélope Daignault
- Political support in Quebec: studying institutions, social groups, and identities in Québec – Mebs Kanji
- Political support in Canada – Mebs Kanji
Projects completed:
- Attention to Negative News: Evolutionary and Cultural Accounts – Patrick Fournier , Stuart Soroka
- Historical Analysis of Survey Data: sociological theories on declining impact of belonging on opinions, attitudes, and values – Claire Durand
- The Face of Diversity: citizens’ perceptions toward ethnically ambiguous candidates – Benjamin Forest
- It’s not what you say, it’s the way that you say it: Candidate nonverbal style, verbal argumentation and persuasion – Elisabeth Gidengil, Dietlind Stolle