How Affective Polarization Shapes Americans’ Political Beliefs: A Study of Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: Journal of experimental political science Vol. 8; no. 3; pp. 223 - 234
• Main Authors: Druckman, James N., Klar, Samara, Krupnikov, Yanna, Levendusky, Matthew, Ryan, John Barry
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.01.2021
• Subjects: Beliefs; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Hypotheses; Pandemics; Partisanship; Polarization; Political parties; Political science; Preregistered Report; Presidents; Responsibility; Social identity; Trump, Donald J; United States > US; COVID-19; Affective polarization; attribution of responsibility; experiment; policy opinion; partisanship

Affective polarization – partisans’ dislike and distrust of those from the other party – has reached historically high levels in the United States. While numerous studies estimate its effect on apolitical outcomes (e.g., dating and economic transactions), we know much less about its effects on polit...