Research
Republicans much more likely to think Tylenol in pregnancy is tied to autism, no matter how the question is asked
PsyPost · By Eric W. Dolan ·
The Brief
- A new experiment published in Scientific Reports examined how survey question wording affects beliefs about Tylenol in pregnancy and autism.
- Republicans were much more likely than others to link Tylenol use in pregnancy to autism.
- The partisan gap held regardless of how the question was worded.
Why it matters
Poll results on contested health claims may reflect partisan views rather than wording effects, which matters when interpreting survey headlines about health beliefs.
Who’s affected
- survey researchers
- health communicators and journalists who report on public opinion polls
- #public opinion
- #survey methods
- #acetaminophen
- #autism
- #partisanship
Public opinion polls often make headlines when they suggest that large numbers of people believe an unproven health claim, yet the exact wording of a survey question may not capture what respondents actually think. A new experiment published in Scientific Reports indicates that…