Susceptibility to unconscious manipulation in political and social media domains: Left-wingers show greater outgroup derogation and self-enhancement relative to right-wingers

Ideological outgroup derogation and self-enhancement have typically been associated with the political right-wing due to their purported increased threat aversion and hedonic bias. However, recent research suggests that left-wingers may demonstrate equivalent or heightened corresponding tendencies, especially for judgments relative to mental capacities. Over the course of two experiments (UK university students; UK general public), we tested whether both ideological left-wingers and right-wingers would perceive Conservative and Labour voters, respectively, to be more susceptible to unconscious manipulation, and whether individuals would perceive themselves to be less susceptible than others, regardless of their left or right-wing ideological stance. In both experiments we found support for these hypotheses, with more pronounced effects amongst relative left-wingers. These findings provide evidence that individuals of left-wing political orientation demonstrate equivalent or greater outgroup derogation in the context of manipulation susceptibility.