Projection processes in the perception of political leaders

The perception of similarity between voters and politicians deeply affects political judgments. In the present work we investigated how voters may selectively attempt to increase their perceived similarity with liked political leaders by means of projection processes. In two studies, participants had to guess the month of birth of several politicians. The attribution of the personal month of birth was assessed. Data provided evidence of both positive and negative projection processes: As compared to what was expected on the basis of random attributions, one’s own month of birth was more likely attributed to politicians of the ingroup but denied to politicians belonging to the disliked coalition. Overall, findings demonstrate that participants modulate their perceived distance with political leaders through selective projection processes, using the self as a judgmental anchor.