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- Title
The 'Positivity Bias' in Evaluations of Public Figures: Evidence Against Instrument Artifacts.
- Authors
Lau, Richard R.; Sears, David O.; Centers, Richard
- Abstract
The "positivity bias" is a term used to describe the consistent favorable evaluation of public figures found in surveys over the past 40 years. This paper explored several possible artifactual explanations for this bias, focusing on the survey instrument itself. Two experiments varied the labeling and ordering of scale endpoints, the affective value of the initial context evaluated, and the presence or absence of a prestigious job title associated with the name of the public figure. None of the variations produced significantly different levels of positivity than the standard control condition used in each experiment.
- Subjects
SURVEYS; ELECTIONS; POLITICAL participation; POLITICAL leadership; JOB titles; POLITICIANS
- Publication
Public Opinion Quarterly, 1979, Vol 43, Issue 3, p347
- ISSN
0033-362X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1086/268526