Title: The Perception Gap
Headings: The Perception Gap
The Perception Gap
Findings
Democrats' Perception Gap
Republicans' Perception Gap
Widest Perception Gap at Political Extremes
The Hidden Tribes of America
V-Shaped Perception Gap
News Media Doesn’t Help
Increased Media Consumption and the Perception Gap
Media and the Widening Perception Gap
Education Doesn’t Help, Either
Education and the Perception Gap
Friendship Diversity
The Social Media Effect
Perceiving Bad Intentions
Judging One's Opponents
Conclusion: Why the Perception Gap Matters

Content: While those who do not post on social media have an average Perception Gap of 18, those who do post on social media have an average Perception Gap of 29. The political content we see on social media is therefore disproportionately from people with a more distorted understanding of the other side, further adding to the problem. Perceiving Bad Intentions
These findings matter because when people wrongly perceive others as extreme, they become more hostile towards them. The larger a person’s Perception Gap, the more negative their views are of the other side. People with large Perception Gaps are more likely to describe their opponents as “hateful,” “ignorant,” and “bigoted.” This points to the vicious cycle of polarization: the Americans who are most engaged in political issues and debates spend the most time reading, watching and listening to media that portrays the other side as extreme, further increasing their hostility and distrust and widening their Perception Gap. Judging One's Opponents
Conclusion: Why the Perception Gap Matters
More than three quarters of Americans believe our differences are not so great that we cannot come together. Yet someone scrolling through a social media news feed, or switching on cable TV or talk radio could be convinced that we’re a country heading towards civil war.