Can you tell the difference between real and fake Democrats and Republicans?
You’re about to see 10 statements that people wrote based one of two prompts: “I’m a democrat because…” or “I’m a republican because…”.
We randomly assigned each person to one prompt or the other, so they didn’t get to choose. (We offered them a bonus if their statement sounded convincing.)
That means some of these statements are real — the person is explaining why they belong to their actual political party. Some of these statements are fake — the person is pretending to belong to the opposite political party.
real statements: Democrats claiming to be Democrats, or Republicans claiming to be Republicans.
fake statements: Democrats claiming to be Republicans, or Republicans claiming to be Democrats.
Your job is to judge whether each statement is real or fake.
The following statement was written based on the prompt: “I’m a Democrat because…”
I am a Democrat because we are a political party that is best reflective of people in this country. We are not defined by race, ideology, or religion. To reflect the progressive direction and identity of this country, programs like education, environmental regulations, civil protections, and public funding for the arts are essential from the government to further our ever evolving society. In addition, to reinforce our standing as a political party not defined by a race, ideology, or religion, we must allow all types of people from all types of backgrounds the same access that is provided for the population at large, or we will be failing them.
The following statement was written based on the prompt: “I’m a Democrat because…”
I am a democrat because I believe we, as a society are paying too much in taxes and that our taxes need to be reduced. I am a democrat because health, education and the arts are extremely important to my views and important to society. I believe we need to give more to health, education and the arts. We need to help kids be able to attend college without going into thousands upon thousands of dollars in debt. As a democrat, we need to make sure that our homeless have a place to go to for help, we need to take care of our homeless and try to get them off the street. I enjoy the arts, and I believe we need to make sure all kids in the our school system have an opportunity to view and experience the arts, especially to help our children grow up with an open mind.
The following statement was written based on the prompt: “I’m a Republican because…”
I am a Republican in the first place because I believe in a lot of the beliefs that the Republican party has. I believe that Everyone should work for a living and earn everything that they have. I also do not believe that the government should not provide any type of assistance to citizens and that every citizens should be responsible for themselves. Another major reason that I am a Republican is because I am a big supporter of our president Donald Trump. Donald Trump is a Republican so it made me want to become a Republican also to support.
The following statement was written based on the prompt: “I’m a Republican because…”
I am a Republican because I believe in making people work for their money. As republicans we don't want to just hand people over money and keep supporting them we want to give them the skills to work for themselves. This country needs to be run by people who don't want to give handouts but handout skills and bring all our jobs back to our country and allow our country to flourish and our Americans to be the best they can be. I love being a Republican and I love what we stand for in everything. God Bless America. ME
The following statement was written based on the prompt: “I’m a Republican because…”
i am a republican because republicans represent conservative values. i am very much a republican with conservative morals and values. republicans are very patriotic and want what is best for our country. i am a republican because i am patriotic and will stand up and fight for our country and the values that our country was founded on. republicans value life in almost every situation and are pro life. i am a republican because i am pro life and want every human life to have every opportunity that our great nation allows. i am a republican because i believe in upholding our constitution.
The following statement was written based on the prompt: “I’m a Republican because…”
I am a Republican because I agree with the values of the Republican Party. I am Pro-Life, and I strongly believe that we have the right to bear arms. I follow the constitution and agree with laws enacted to protect the constitutional rights. I believe in God and serve him to the best of my ability. I think that people should work for their betterment and not be handed out free stuff. When you work for things, you appreciate them much more. Government entitlements are way over done. I think we as a country should encourage people to work, not to go on welfare.
The following statement was written based on the prompt: “I’m a Republican because…”
I am a republican because: -Republicans believe marriage should stay between a man and a woman. I am old school and do not understand how so many people are so confused about which gender they are and/or so many people liking the same gender. -Republicans do not believe in stricter gun laws. I also believe if everyone had a gun (obviously not children or mentally handicapped) then less violent crimes would occur. I definitely would not rob a bank (for real, I would never) if I believed everyone in the bank had a weapon. -Republicans want to build up our military forces. How can this ever be a bad choice!?! We need to stay the strongest country in the world and one way we do this is making sure we have our military built up and that the military has all the necessary equipment needed to protect our country.
The following statement was written based on the prompt: “I’m a Republican because…”
I am a republican because I want to keep more than 50% of my earning each paycheck. I am a republican because I think you should have to work for a living not just get a handout for sitting on your lazy bum. I am a republican because I believe we need stronger border security, stronger vetting of those coming into country legally and certainly illegally. I love my country, my father and uncle fought for this country. I love my guns and the freedom to own whatever type I choose. The 2nd amendment is not about hunting or sport shooting it is about the ability to protect ourselves against a tyrannical government and we need our AR-15s to keep that so.
The following statement was written based on the prompt: “I’m a Republican because…”
I am a republican because I am a very conservative person. I was raised a southern baptist in Georgia. I was very active in my church when I was growing up and I am very religious. Republicans tend to go along with most of my beliefs. I am totally against abortion because I believe it is a sin. I believe that people should work hard for what they get, and it if they work hard, they should be rewarded. I don't believe in eliminating student loan debt. I believe in hard work, in our country and to try to honor God. I believe marriage should only be between a man and a woman. Like I said, most of my beliefs line up with the Republican way of thinking.
The following statement was written based on the prompt: “I’m a Republican because…”
I am a Republican because I love my country. I hate it whenever I see things on the news that show the U.S. way of life being destroyed. I want our country to continue being the strongest in the world and for this to be preserved for future generations. I care a lot about freedom, as well, and don't ever want to see that compromised by any internal or external factors. I am a Republican because I am willing to stand up for this and fight for the future of our country. This is because I care about the U.S. and what it stands for.
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