Political moderates may be perceived as disloyal by both sides
tags:
In the increasingly polarized political realm, moderates may be viewed as disloyal by both conservatives and liberals when the opposing side seems threatening, according to research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
"Democratic systems rely heavily on compromise, negotiation and coalition building, and moderates are often seen as the 'glue' that helps bridge ideological divides," said lead researcher Giulia Maimone, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar in marketing at the University of Florida. "If moderates are rejected by both sides, compromise itself may begin to look suspicious or disloyal."
The study included five online experiments with more than 3,200 participants in the United States. Participants were asked about the strength of their liberal or conservative beliefs on politically divisive issues, including abortion, Israel and Palestine, and voting choices for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
In one experiment, participants were asked to consider moderate policies that allowed abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy. Both pro-life and pro-choice participants viewed the moderate policies as supporting the opposing side.
In another experiment, conducted five days before the 2024 presidential election, participants were asked to consider the beliefs of a hypothetical individual who equally supported both Trump and Harris.
Participants also were asked whether they considered voting for one candidate over the other to be a moral issue and whether they would feel threatened personally, whether someone they knew would be threatened or whether society at large would be threatened if the opposing party's candidate was elected.
When the middle looks suspect
Across the experiments, participants viewed moderate policies or beliefs as supporting the opposing side, especially when they held more extreme political beliefs, felt threatened by the opposing side and viewed political issues through a moral lens. This "moderate as out-group effect" is driven by perceptions that moderates fail to repudiate or condemn the opposing side, Maimone said.
"Our findings suggest that polarization can become self-perpetuating because distrust spreads not only toward extremists on opposing sides but also toward people attempting to bridge divides in the middle," Maimone said.
Pressure to choose a camp
Another danger of viewing moderates as belonging to the opposing side is that they may realize they are rejected by all sides and become incentivized to pick a side, further deepening polarization. However, there is still some hope for reducing polarization and rebuilding the middle ground, Maimone said.
"Reducing the moralized language around some political debates and not demonizing political opponents so they seem less threatening could help make political cooperation feel more socially acceptable," Maimone said.
"Over time, this may help create the conditions for real dialogue across political parties where nuance and compromise are valued rather than punished, potentially reducing polarization."
Publication details
Giulia Maimone, et al. Whoever Is Not With Me Is Against Me: The 'Moderate as Out-Group' Effect, Journal of Experimental Psychology (2026). DOI: 10.1037/xge0001957
Who's behind this story?
BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries. Full profile →
Bachelor's in mathematical biology, Master's in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language. Full profile →
Citation: Political moderates may be perceived as disloyal by both sides (2026, July 27) retrieved 27 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-political-moderates-disloyal-sides.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.