Study Links Political Polarization to Projection Onto Fictional Heroes and Villains

Research shows people align admired fictional characters with their political views while associating disliked ones with opposing parties.

A study by the University of Southampton and University of Vienna surveyed 3,200 participants in the UK and US about the political affiliations of fictional characters.
Respondents were 20% more likely to believe heroes like Harry Potter or Gandalf shared their political views and villains like Darth Vader or Cruella de Vil supported rival parties.
The research also found that one in six participants falsely attributed political affiliations to real-life politicians in news stories, often aligning 'good' actions with their party and 'bad' actions with the opposition.
This tendency to project political identities onto others, including fictional characters, was stronger among individuals with more pronounced political identities, particularly those on the left.
Researchers warn that this behavior exacerbates political polarization and increases susceptibility to misinformation, urging recognition of these biases to reduce division.