Optimism and Pessimism in Political Decision-Making

• In Event: Political Knowledge and Information Processing

Abstract

Optimists hope for the best possible outcome, while pessimists plan for the worst. We investigate how people’s predispositions to be optimistic versus pessimistic shape how they approach political decision-making. We argue that optimists use political information differently than pessimists. We hypothesize that optimists will be less accurate in their appraisals and more willing to dismiss negative information, while pessimists will be more likely to receive and incorporate negative information. Using survey data as well as experiments, we then trace the consequences of this for decision-making, testing whether pessimists are more likely to hold politicians accountable for their weak performance in office. Our results speak to how people’s personality traits moderate the ways they use political information in decision-making.

Authors

• Jennifer Wolak, University of Colorado, Boulder

• Carey Stapleton, University of Colorado-Boulder