Study Finds Partisans Underestimate Openness to Dialogue
Research across Portugal and Sweden links misperceived receptiveness of political opponents to reluctance to discuss politics.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Social Sciences
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A four-experiment study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found people are overly pessimistic about how open others are to different political ideas. The researchers say these misperceptions are associated with negative expectations about talking to others about political topics.
Why it matters
Researchers suspected that a primary obstacle to inter-partisan dialogue is how people perceive the receptiveness of others. The authors wrote that correcting such misperceptions might offer a route for ameliorating polarization.
The study comprised four separate experiments comparing participants in Portugal and Sweden. The extraction does not report sample sizes, effect sizes, or baseline comparisons, and it is unclear how the findings apply beyond these two countries.
The players
André Mata
A psychologist at the University of Lisbon who led the study on perceived receptiveness and political dialogue.
Linköping University
A Swedish public university that collaborated with the University of Lisbon researchers on the study.
The details
Led by psychologist André Mata at the University of Lisbon with colleagues from Linköping University, the researchers measured perceptions of others' receptiveness and tested whether changing those perceptions increased willingness to engage in political conversations. The study was published November 3, 2026, in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
Timeline
November 3, 2026: The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
The Big Picture
The study extends research on inter-partisan dialogue by testing perceived receptiveness across two European countries rather than within a single national setting. It supports the view that perceptual barriers, not only ideological differences, may shape whether partisans are willing to talk to one another.
Readers who find political conversations stressful may consider that their own assumptions about others' openness could be inaccurate. The study suggests that testing those assumptions in everyday discussions may make dialogue feel less risky.
The takeaway
Assuming others are closed to your views may make you avoid conversations that could go better than expected. The study suggests checking that assumption before deciding a political discussion is not worth having.
Further reading
Explore more Social Sciences research on how people perceive and interact with political opponents.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Alternet.
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