Political views liberal

FILE - A Facebook log is displayed on the screen of an iPad, in this Wednesday, May 16, 2012 file photo taken in New York. Facebook Inc. is launching a tool that lets users notify friends and family that they are safe during or after natural disasters. The tool, called "Safety Check, " will be available worldwide to the social network's 1.32 billion users on computers and mobile devices. This includes the basic "feature" phones many people still use to access Facebook, especially in developing countries. (AP Photo/James H. Collins)

(CNSNews.com) - Individuals with consistently liberal views “are more likely than those in other ideological groups to block or ‘defriend’ someone on a social network – as well as to end a personal friendship – because of politics, ” according to a Pew Research study.

The project titled, Political Polarization and Media Habits, “looks at the ways people get information about government and politics in three different settings: the news media, social media and the way people talk about politics with friends and family, ” Pew explained.

Pew evaluated political polarization by separating individuals into five ideological groups (consistent liberals, mostly liberals, mixed, mostly conservatives and consistent conservatives) based on 10 questions about a range of political values.

Those at both the left and right ends of the spectrum, the ‘consistent liberals’ and the ‘consistent conservatives, ’ comprise about 20 percent of the public overall, and according to Pew, “have a greater impact on the political process than do those with more mixed ideological views, ” because they are more likely to vote, donate to campaigns and participate in politics.

When it comes to social media, consistent conservatives and consistent liberals vary in the way they consume the media as well as how they react to it.

According to the study, 44 percent of consistently liberal Facebook users have hidden, blocked or defriended, or stopped following someone on social media because they disagreed with a political post. In contrast, 31 percent of consistently conservative individuals did the same.

“While consistent conservatives are the most likely to see Facebook posts in line with their political views, consistent liberals are the most likely to block others on social networking sites because they disagree with their content, ” explained Pew.

Consistent conservatives are less likely to get their news on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, because as a whole they are less likely to visit those sites in the first place.