American Journal of Political Science· 2014Q1
“I Disrespectfully Agree”: The Differential Effects of Partisan Sorting on Social and Issue Polarization
- 1,354citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2014year
Short summary
Partisan sorting has increased social polarization (activism, bias, anger) by 14% without a similar increase in issue polarization, according to ANES data analysis.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Social polarization, defined by partisan bias, activism, and anger, is increasing.
- Partisan-ideological sorting has strengthened partisan identities and associated emotions.
- Issue position polarization has not increased to the same degree as social polarization.
- ANES data analysis supports the hypothesis that aligned political identities drive division despite agreement on issues.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Disagreements over whether polarization exists in the mass public have confounded two separate types of polarization. When social polarization is separated from issue position polarization, both sides of the polarization debate can be simultaneously correct. Social polarization, characterized by increased levels of partisan bias, activism, and anger, is increasing, driven by partisan identity and political identity alignment, and does not require the same magnitude of issue position polarization. The partisan‐ideological sorting that has occurred in recent decades has caused the nation as a whole to hold more aligned political identities, which has strengthened partisan identity and the activism, bias, and anger that result from strong identities, even though issue positions have not undergone the same degree of polarization. The result is a nation that agrees on many things but is bitterly divided nonetheless. An examination of ANES data finds strong support for these hypotheses.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. American Journal of Political Science, 2014 · DOI ↗
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Field: Political Science and International Relations
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences