Work

Political plausible deniability: Political difference can divert attributions of socially unacceptable bias.

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: bias, with political bias rated most acceptable among 15 biases. Across 13 preregistered survey experiments, we find that third parties are less likely to perceive racism, sexism, and (sometimes) heterosexism when an actor expresses an antiliberal statement toward a Black, female, or gay target. These effects emerge across open-ended (Studies 1a-c) and Likert-type (Studies 2a-c, 3a-c, 4a-c) responses, which we replicate in a conjoint experiment (Study 5). Participants' political leanings did not moderate effects. Finally, in 12 exploratory studies, we further illuminate political plausible deniability, for example, by examining anticonservative biases, comparing political with other (nonpolitical) biases, and exploring the role of intersecting target identities. Our research exposes an inconspicuous way that political bias may shape social perception, with implications for understanding how prejudice operates in everyday life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Source: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

DOI: 10.1037/pspa0000470

Authors: Brittany C. Solomon, Hannah B. Waldfogel, Matthew E. K. Hall

Institutions: University of Notre Dame, Columbia University

Language: English

Topic: Social and Intergroup Psychology

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: University of Notre Dame