Journal article
Millions of online book co-purchases reveal partisan differences in the consumption of science
Nature human behaviour, Vol.1(4), 0079
04/01/2017
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-017-0079
Abstract
Passionate disagreements about climate change, stem cell research and evolution raise concerns that science has become a new battlefield in the culture wars. We used data derived from millions of online co-purchases as a behavioural indicator for whether shared interest in science bridges political differences or selective attention reinforces existing divisions. Findings reveal partisan preferences both within and across scientific disciplines. Across fields, customers for liberal or 'blue' political books prefer basic science (for example, physics, astronomy and zoology), whereas conservative or 'red' customers prefer applied and commercial science (for example, criminology, medicine and geophysics). Within disciplines, 'red' books tend to be co-purchased with a narrower subset of science books on the periphery of the discipline. We conclude that the political left and right share an interest in science in general, but not science in particular. This underscores the need for research into remedies that can attenuate selective exposure to 'convenient truth', renew the capacity for science to inform political debate and temper partisan passions.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Millions of online book co-purchases reveal partisan differences in the consumption of science
- Creators
- Feng Shi - University of ChicagoYongren Shi - Yale UniversityFedor A. Dokshin - Cornell UniversityJames A. Evans - University of ChicagoMichael W. Macy - Cornell University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Nature human behaviour, Vol.1(4), 0079
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41562-017-0079
- ISSN
- 2397-3374
- eISSN
- 2397-3374
- Number of pages
- 9
- Grant note
- NRF-2013S1A3A2055285 / National Research Foundation of Korea John Templeton Foundation FA9550-15-1-0162 / Air Force Office of Scientific Research; United States Department of Defense; Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) SES 1303533; SES 1226483; SES 1158803 / NSF; National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 04/01/2017
- Academic Unit
- Sociology and Criminology
- Record Identifier
- 9984306236602771
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