I really can’t say. I opted out long ago.
To @Velocity
I do think there’s far too much bothsidesism inherent in your OP.
Lots of threads have covered this basic notion, but I think there’s some neurology at work, and I do think it manifests itself more dramatically and more consequentially in the conservative part of the spectrum.
And that is the keyboard study (small PDF) to which I’ve linked before.
“A study by scientists at New York University and the University of California, Los Angeles, found differences in how self-described liberal and conservative research participants responded to changes in patterns. Participants were asked to tap a keyboard when the letter “M” appeared on a computer monitor and to refrain from tapping when they saw a “W.” The letter “M” appeared four times more frequently than “W,” conditioning participants to press the keyboard on almost every trial. Liberal participants made fewer mistakes than conservatives when they saw the rare “W,” indicating to the researchers that these participants were better able to accept changes or conflicts in established patterns. The participants were also wired to an electroencephalograph that recorded activity in their anterior cingulate cortex, the part of the brain that detects conflicts between a habitual tendency and a more appropriate response. Liberals were significantly more likely than conservatives to show activity in the brain circuits that deal with conflicts during the experiment, and this correlated with their greater accuracy in the test.”
So while there are probably very provable brain differences that lead to varying degrees of confirmation bias in all of us, I think this one plays a significant role.
I also think a tendency to eschew proof and believe fairly outlandish claims is a bit of a feature in many ‘evangelicals,’ making them easy prey for the cynical.
Then there’s the tendency for no end of cohorts to be easily frightened. Constantly hammering on those fears makes it relatively simple to offer them the promise of succor.
So “stubborn,” IMHO, might well describe a manifestation of much deeper, more primal, and baser instincts. I went into it a bit with this post.
Are there equivalents to be pointed to on/from the Left ? Sure. But degree matters a great deal, and I think it’s nowhere near as bad on the political Left.