Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science: Partisan and Ideological Sorting in the United States

Suny At Stony Brook, Stony Brook NY

Investigators

Abstract

For decades, political scientists have argued about whether political polarization is occurring in the United States. Yet there has been no common definition of what polarization is and no agreement as to what might cause it. This project aims to change the terms of this debate, both by defining the concept of polarization clearly and consistently and by identifying the reasons for the existence of polarization and for its increase over the last fifty years. The project defines political polarization as a process by which citizens move from centrist, moderate political beliefs or behavior to more extreme beliefs or behavior. The project suggests that US citizens can be polarized over issue positions or in their behavior, and that these two things need not happen at the same time. Hence, while levels of issue position polarization may be low, behavioral polarization--characterized by increased levels of activism, intolerance and anger--can be and is today undeniably on the rise. This increased behavioral polarization has been fueled by the gradual alignment of party and ideological identities over the last few decades. US citizens are more politically active, intolerant and angry because party identities have come into alignment with other political identities (ideology, religion, and race). Other studies have shown that when multiple identities come into alignment, citizens become less tolerant of others. This project further contends that when political identities come into alignment, party identities are strengthened. Studies have also shown that those with stronger identities are more intolerant, and take more actions on behalf of the group to which they belong. This project argues that this psychological reaction is emotional in nature and is unrelated to measured considerations of issues. If this argument holds, then partisans have deep psychological motivations to be uncivil, and the strength of these motivations has increased since the 1960s. The research examines its arguments by collecting data from a nationally representative sample of adult Americans. Specifically, a web-based survey will be used to assess the relationships among an array of political identities (partisan, ideological, religious, racial, and issue-based), and the effect of these identities on political behavior. In addition, the survey will be used to examine the role of issue position extremity on political behavior. If the reasoning here is right, issue position extremity should play a smaller role in motivating political activism, intolerance, and anger than does political identity strength. Furthermore, and most importantly, individuals with high levels of alignment among their political identities should be more active, intolerant and angry than those whose political identities are not in alignment. This project will provide crucial insight in two arenas. First, it will move forward a long-standing academic debate, by introducing a precise definition and identifying causal mechanisms at work. Second, the project will shed light on the psychological motivations of polarized and intolerant partisan debate.