The illusion of political attitudes: perceived (and not actual) cross-cutting attitudes are associated with pluralistic news consumption

Most polarization research focuses on conservatives and liberals, overlooking individuals holding cross-cutting attitude (CCA; mixed conservative and liberal views). Using survey data from two polarized countries, we distinguish between objective (actual) and subjective (perceived) CCA and examine their relationship with political news consumption. According to the results, many participants misperceived their attitude structure, seeing it as cross-cutting although actually aligned (or vice-versa). Crucially, perceived, but not actual, CCA was linked to greater consumption of news identified with the ideological outgroup. This effect held beyond ideological moderation, used as a proxy for centrism. These findings provide evidence for the distinction between ideological elements, and bear implications for bridging political divides.