The study of political behavior is notable for exhibiting both strong and shifting trends in what researchers argue causes variation in citizens’ political views. How do these scientific findings, when publicized, influence Americans’ political perspectives? In particular, do such causal attributions make people more or less tolerant of the political opposition, more or less likely to want to compromise with them? In this paper, we analyze data from an online experiment in which participants were randomly assigned to a control group or to read a short summary of research findings indicating that variation in political ideology (whether a person is conservative or liberal) is primarily the result of either “nature,” “nurture,” “nature and nurture,” or “choice.” We examine the effects of such explanations on participants’ evaluations of, prejudice and tolerance toward, and willingness to compromise with their political opponents. Possible mediating variables are also measured following the treatment.
