Prometheus 6

“To social psychologists and academic political scientists, people’s answers are highly suspect,” wrote Timothy D. Wilson, in an editorial that accompanies the study. “Voters explain their reasons by relying on cultural and idiosyncratic causal theories that may bear little relation to the real reason for their preferences.”

Undecideds May Be More Decided Than They Know
By BENEDICT CAREY

Voters who insist that they are undecided about a contentious issue are sometimes fooling themselves, having already made a choice at a subconscious level, a new study suggests.

Scientists have long known that subtle biases can skew evaluations of an issue or candidate in ways people are not aware of. But the new study, appearing Thursday in the journal Science, suggests that professed neutrality — sitting on the fence — leaves people more vulnerable to their own inherent biases than choosing sides early.