I think there is a LOT more denial of reality on the right... a lot of "Well, that's just fake news!" and conspiracy stuff... and a lot more believing of stuff that is just unbelievable, and in fact stands in opposition to OTHER beliefs... the whole "I hate Obama because of his CHRISTIAN pastor, but he is also a Muslim" sort of cognitive dissonance. It's like the huge number of Trump voters who saw the Trump crowds and Obama crowds and said the Trump crowds were bigger when they clearly weren't, or majority of self-identified "very conservative" Americans who believe that Muslims are secretly trying to implement sharia law in the United States... or the crazy fact that MORE conservatives believed Obama was born abroad AFTER he released his birth certificate.
(NOTE: I am about to talk about conservatives and liberals, NOT Republicans and Democrats!)
There are fundamental psychological differences between conservative thinkers and liberal thinkers. A number of studies have found...
"Psychologists have repeatedly reported that self-described conservatives tend to place a higher value than those to their left on deference to tradition and authority. They are more likely to value stability, conformity, and order, and have more difficulty tolerating novelty and ambiguity and uncertainty. They are more sensitive than liberals to information suggesting the possibility of danger than to information suggesting benefits. And they are more moralistic and more likely to repress unconscious drives towards unconventional sexuality.
Fairness and kindness place lower on the list of moral priorities for conservatives than for liberals. Conservatives show a stronger preference for higher status groups, are more accepting of inequality and injustice, and are less empathic (at least towards those outside their immediate family). "
I think the psychological makeup of people has a lot to do with all of this stuff (for example, the idea that 'threat' registers more "loudly" with conservative thinkers than liberal thinkers) and there are obviously differences in how we therefore process and respond to information.
... and a piece from a group of researchers (one of whom is a friend of mine!) about the spread of fake news in our current world, and what sorts of people generally spread and believe it more.
https://shorensteincenter.org/combating-fake-news-agenda-for-research/
PS Yes, I know some people will just not read this and get all angry at me. Don't bother.
