Thinking, educated people wonder who these morons are, and since the 2020 election ended, I've come to accept there is a larger percentage of these morons than I ever thought was possible. Three studies determine what most of us already knew.
Just who believes the claim that Trump won in 2020 and that the election was stolen from him? Who are these tens of millions of Americans and what draws them into this web of delusion?
Three sources provided The Times with survey data: The University of Massachusetts-Amherst Poll; P.R.R.I. (the Public Religion Research Institute); and Reuters-Ipsos. With minor exceptions, the data from all three polls is similar.
Alexander Theodoridis, a political scientist at the University of Massachusetts, summed it up:
P.R.R.I. also tested agreement or disagreement with a view that drives “replacement theory” — “Immigrants are invading our country and replacing our cultural and ethnic background” — and found that 60 percent of Republicans agreed, as do 55 percent of conservatives.
The Reuters/Ipsos data showed that among white Republicans, those without college degrees were far more likely to agree “that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump,” at 69 percent, than white Republicans with college degrees, at a still astonishing 51 percent. The same survey data showed that the level of this belief remained consistently strong (60 percent plus) among Republicans of all ages living in rural, suburban or urban areas.
Opinion | Trump True Believers Have Their Reasons (Published 2021)
One-third of Americans still think Biden’s victory in 2020 was illegitimate. What gives?www.nytimes.com
Exposure to authoritarian values leads to lower positive affect, higher negative affect, and higher meaning in life
Five studies tested the effect of exposure to authoritarian values on positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and meaning in life (MIL). Study 1 (N = 1,053) showed that simply completing a measure of right-wing authoritarianism (vs. not) prior to rating MIL led to higher MIL. Preregistered...journals.plos.org
The existential function of right-wing authoritarianism - PubMed
Findings extend scientific knowledge by demonstrating that RWA contributes to MIL, particularly existential mattering, and especially for those experiencing distress. We discuss implications for our understanding of RWA and MIL.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Dear odanny
Instead of making the same mistake, and going with the most outlandish and extreme possible version out there spreading around:
I would break down and "replace" this perception by pinpointing more realistic applicable issues people are having, that can be verified as real problems causing concern and objections. This also makes it easier to understand why people are facing deeper conflicts and how to better address and resolve them:
(1) the Election issues stem from 3 key conflicts (a) mass volumes of mailin ballots not verified by Notarization under penalty of perjury (b) rule changes that were not voted on by elected state reps to prove consent of voters taxpayers and citizens (c) in general, liberal voters believing in voting in social benefits and reliance on Govt for social and economic support collectively for the entire nation, and conservative voters not believing in paying for that centrally through fed govt but in delegating this democratically to people and states locally. So this causes a rift in representation between state and federal, conservative and liberal and causes misrepresentation in media campaigns voting elections and govt in general.
(2) for the immigration issue, instead of focusing on the immigrants trying to work and follow the laws and the system, the real issue is trying to deter the trafficking and crime taking advantage of weak or lax law enforcement if not corruption as well.
In Texas the cities affected are suffering censorship by the media. The crime and trafficking are worse than depicted, filling jails with victims of minor crimes indirectly related to human and drug trafficking overwhelming the system.
If you go with what the media reports that narrative distracts from the real crisis.
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