Although many scholars and political analysts see rising prices as critical to recent election results in the United States (and elsewhere), we know surprisingly little about how people think about and process inflation information. Our study first finds that many citizens conflate how trends in inflation rates relate to trends in prices. We then implemented two large survey experiments to assess how inflation and price information affects perceptions of the broader economy and presidential approval. Our designs exploit both between- and within-subjects comparisons to better understand (1) the degree and (2) the conditions under which citizens adjust perceptions in response to inflation information. Our study reveals that inflation information can have a substantial impact on evaluations of economic and presidential performance. Yet, such effects are highly conditional upon whether this information depicts changes in inflation rates or changes in prices. We conclude with implications for political communication and elite framing.

Abstract. Computer-based testing (CBT) is becoming an increasingly popular format of assessment in educational settings. If students face a digital divide in terms of access to computers at school and...

Walter Lippmann, John Dewey, and the fundamental question of political epistemology: Can anybody understand modern society?

More than meets the ITT: A guide for anticipating and investigating nonsignificant results in survey experiments

Keeping up with the news and monitoring public affairs are typically considered civic obligations. Yet there is a great deal of competition for people’s limited attention. Some studies explore when...

The Pew Research Center offers paid internships through our flagship summer internship program. Though specifics may vary by year, internships offerings are usually available on our research teams (Da...

Do Politicians Outside the United States Also Think Voters Are More Conservative than They Really Are? - Volume 118 Issue 2