This work examines worldview predictors of attitudes toward nanotechnology, human gene editing (HGE), and artificial intelligence. By simultaneously assessing the relative predictive value of various worldview variables in two Dutch samples (total N = 614), we obtained evidence for spirituality as a key predictor of skepticism across domains. Religiosity consistently predicted HGE skepticism only. Lower faith in science contributed to these relationships. Aversion to tampering with nature predicted skepticism across domains. These results speak to the importance of religiosity and spirituality for scientific innovation attitudes and emphasize the need for a detailed consideration of worldviews that shape these attitudes.
In: Ruggeri , K , Većkalov , B , Bojanić , L , Andersen , T L , Ashcroft-jones , S , Ayacaxli , N , Barea-arroyo , P , Berge , M L , Bjørndal , L D , Bursalıoğlu , A , Bühler , V , Čadek , M , Çetinçelik , M , Clay , G , Cortijos-bernabeu , A , Damnjanović , K , Dugue , T M , Esberg , M , Esteban-serna , C , Felder , E N , Friedemann , M , Frontera-villanueva , D I , Gale , P , Garcia-garzon , E , Geiger , S J , George , L , Girardello , A , Gracheva , A , Gracheva , A , Guillory , M , Hecht , M , Herte , K , Hubená , B , Ingalls , W , Jakob , L , Janssens , M , Jarke , H , Kácha , O , Kalinova , K N , Karakasheva , R , Khorrami , P R , Lep , Ž , Lins , S , Lofthus , I S , Mamede , S , Mareva , S , Mascarenhas , M F , Mcgill , L , Morales-izquierdo , S , Moltrecht , B , Mueller , T S , Musetti , M , Nelsson , J , Otto , T , Paul , A F , Pavlović , I , Petrović , M B , Popović , D , Prinz , G M , Razum , J , Sakelariev , I , Samuels , V , Sanguino , I , Say , N , Schuck , J , Soysal , I , Todsen , A L , Tünte , M R , Vdovic , M , Vintr , J , Vovko , M , Vranka , M A , Wagner , L , Wilkins , L , Willems , M , Wisdom , E , Yosifova , A , Zeng , S , Ahmed , M A , Dwarkanath , T , Cikara , M , Lees , J & Folke , T 2021 , ' The general fault in our fault lines ' , Nature Human Behaviour , vol. 5 , no. 10 , pp. 1369-1380 . https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01092-x
Pervading global narratives suggest that political polarization is increasing, yet the accuracy of such group meta-perceptions has been drawn into question. A recent US study suggests that these beliefs are inaccurate and drive polarized beliefs about out-groups. However, it also found that informing people of inaccuracies reduces those negative beliefs. In this work, we explore whether these results generalize to other countries. To achieve this, we replicate two of the original experiments with 10,207 participants across 26 countries. We focus on local group divisions, which we refer to as fault lines. We find broad generalizability for both inaccurate meta-perceptions and reduced negative motive attribution through a simple disclosure intervention. We conclude that inaccurate and negative group meta-perceptions are exhibited in myriad contexts and that informing individuals of their misperceptions can yield positive benefits for intergroup relations. Such generalizability highlights a robust phenomenon with implications for political discourse worldwide.
