Social identity and cognitive dissonance: exploring political attitude change in democratic societies

Drawing from Social Identity Theory and Cognitive Dissonance Theory, this research aims to illuminate how individuals reconcile ideological consistency with external stimuli, particularly in politically polarized contexts, focusing on the role of priming in influencing perceptions among left-leaning individuals in Italy. Using a 2x2 mixed design, 158 participants were exposed to a textual prime addressing immigration issues, hypothesized to evoke stronger alignment with leftist ideologies. Participants completed pretest and posttest measures assessing attitudes on nine political topics, along with items probing social identity and political coherence. Hypotheses positing significant differences on topics directly related to the prime—legal and illegal immigration, and political identity—were largely unsupported. However, for the Middle Eastern conflict, a significant interaction between condition and time was observed (F=4.645, p=0.033, η²=0.029), with experimental group participants showing an increase in leftist-aligned positions posttest. These findings underscore the intricate interplay between social identity and cognitive dissonance in shaping political attitudes. While the prime's direct effects were limited, its indirect influence on ideologically adjacent topics suggests that belief systems are interconnected and may respond to subtle cues, even outside the intended domain. The results of this study are crucial for understanding how political attitudes can be influenced through mechanisms rooted in social identity and cognitive dissonance, especially in the context of political conflict. Moreover, these findings are essential for comprehending the broader implications of how media and political messages can influence public opinion, even on issues that are not directly addressed.