Summer of 45

Abstract

Attitudes held with certainty may serve as powerful determinants of relevant political behavior, such as voting. Despite a large body of research in attitude certainty, minimal work has explored two of its distinct components: attitude correctness and attitude clarity. This study investigated how parasocial interaction (PSI) with former President Trump influences perceived correctness and clarity of attitudes toward him.   Over 400 Amazon MTurk workers completed a survey. Data revealed the more participants engaged in PSI with Trump, the more they reported having negative attitudes toward him. PSI with Trump also predicted perceived attitude correctness and attitude clarity. Analysis suggested as participants engaged in cognitive activities such as evaluation and observation, perceived attitude correctness and clarity toward Trump became stronger. Conversely, as participants experienced positive affect toward Trump, perceived attitude correctness and clarity weakened. Behavioral PSI responses, although not the strongest influence, predicted perceived correctness but not attitude clarity.