It’s a fascinating piece of research which just might explain something about the yawning political divides currently tearing society apart. The study, published in the journal PLOS One, explored why people rely on different types of evidence when explaining why things happen. They were then asked to evaluate whether the policy was “effective at reducing crime” based on 10 pieces of evidence. “Indeed, people’s political beliefs influence how they look for information (often without them realizing it),” Justwan continued. Zooming out, the research adds to a body of work which suggests that left-leaning people have more trust in the scientific method than conservatives.