Who Are Better People, Democrats or Republicans?

It’s nearly Election Day, which once again means it’s time to ask the important questions. Who are better people: Democrats or Republicans? More specifically, are Republicans more charitable? Do Democrats donate more time to their communities? These are the kind of queries we like, because they get to the heart of the bitter, hyper-partisan American ideological divide: People like me are better than everyone else, right?

There’s actually a scientific term for this: illusory superiority, or the cognitive bias that leads individuals to overestimate their own qualities in relation to everyone else. And it explains headlines like “Do Liberals Really Care More About Empathy Than Conservatives?”; “Conservatives Better Informed, Most Consistent, More Open-Minded”; and “Are Conservatives Dumber Than Liberals?.” We like, of course, to read that we’re on the good side.