Before asking about food stamps, we reminded half the respondents that Gingrich said “that more people have been put on food stamps by Barack Obama than any president in American history.” The effect of this prime demonstrates the degree to which politicians can shape perceptions of reality. Predictably, Republicans responded to being reminded about Gingrich’s statement with a 3-point increase in their estimate of those around them on support (Tea Party supporters added a point for a 4-point shift). Democrat opinion didn’t move at all when reminded about what Gingrich said. The largest move, however, came from those who already supported Gingrich for the nomination. These respondents increased their guess about the number of people on food stamps by 7-points – a 25% increase in a number that is already inflated by 200%. But here’s the most important movement: nearly as large as the move by Gingrich supporters is the movement among independents and non-partisans who shifted their estimates by 6-points. In a political world where most opinion change comes from information that is consistent with people’s pre-existing filters, this 6-point move by independents is important.
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i'm the leftist liberal you've been warned about - the one who genuinely supports the expansion of the welfare state. i love politics and data and graffiti and street art and am far too lazy to use my shift key. if you need to reach me, you can email to abbyjean at the google email service.
