The Origins and Consequences of Affective Polarization in the United States

While previously polarization was primarily seen only in issue-based terms, a new type of division has emerged in the mass public in recent years: Ordinary Americans increasingly dislike and distrust those from the other party. Democrats and Republicans both say that the other party's members a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAnnual review of political science Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 129 - 146
Main Authors Iyengar, Shanto, Lelkes, Yphtach, Levendusky, Matthew, Malhotra, Neil, Westwood, Sean J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Palo Alto Annual Reviews 11.05.2019
Annual Reviews, Inc
Subjects
affective polarization
American politics
Animosity
Attitudes
General public
ideology
Partisanship
Polarization
Political parties
Power
Self interest
Social identity
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Summary:While previously polarization was primarily seen only in issue-based terms, a new type of division has emerged in the mass public in recent years: Ordinary Americans increasingly dislike and distrust those from the other party. Democrats and Republicans both say that the other party's members are hypocritical, selfish, and closed-minded, and they are unwilling to socialize across party lines. This phenomenon of animosity between the parties is known as affective polarization. We trace its origins to the power of partisanship as a social identity, and explain the factors that intensify partisan animus. We also explore the consequences of affective polarization, highlighting how partisan affect influences attitudes and behaviors well outside the political sphere. Finally, we discuss strategies that might mitigate partisan discord and conclude with suggestions for future work.
ISSN:1094-2939
1545-1577
DOI:10.1146/annurev-polisci-051117-073034