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Leftists and Rightists Differ in Their Cardiovascular Responses to Changing Public Opinion on Migration
Feiteng Long1, Ruthie Pliskin1, Daan Scheepers1,2
1Social, Economic and Organisational Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Psychophysiology
|September 4, 2025
Summary
Understanding ingroup dynamics in migration debates is key. Growing support for one's views on migration can reduce stress and prejudice for some, acting as a coping resource.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Political Psychology
- Psychophysiology
Background:
- Contentious topics like migration can induce stress.
- Perceived ingroup size changes influence stress responses (threat vs. challenge).
Purpose of the Study:
- Examine how changes in public opinion on migration interact with political ideology.
- Investigate the influence on cardiovascular reactivity and stress appraisals.
Main Methods:
- Preregistered study with 203 Dutch university students.
- Measured cardiovascular reactivity (ECG, impedance cardiography, blood pressure) during a speech task.
- Assessed self-reported demand/resource appraisals and prejudice post-task.
Main Results:
- Progressive opinion change led leftists to show challenge responses (lower TPR, higher CO).
- Progressive opinion change led rightists to show threat responses (higher TPR, lower CO).
- Leftists showed increased resource appraisal and reduced prejudice with progressive change; rightists showed increased prejudice with both progressive and conservative change.
Conclusions:
- Ingroup size changes impact stress responses to migration debates based on political ideology.
- A growing opinion-based ingroup can serve as a psychological resource for managing stress.
- Findings offer insights into intergroup relations and coping mechanisms in societal discourse.
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