When efforts to depolarize the electorate fail

43Citations
Citations of this article
94Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.
Get full text

Abstract

The mass public has become affectively polarized-ordinary Americans increasingly dislike and distrust those from the other party, with negative consequences for politics. Drawing on work in political and social psychology, this paper tests two mechanisms for reducing this discord, both of which have been shown to reduce similar biases in other settings: Heightening partisan ambivalence, and using self-affirmation techniques. A population-based survey experiment shows that neither strategy reduces affective polarization in the aggregate. But this null finding masks an important heterogeneity: Heightening partisan ambivalence reduces affective polarization for ideological moderates, but increases such discord for those with more extreme ideological identities. Efforts to depolarize the electorate can make it more deeply divided, with important implications for our understanding of contemporary politics and the durability of affective polarization.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Levendusky, M. S. (2018). When efforts to depolarize the electorate fail. Public Opinion Quarterly, 82(3), 583–592. https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfy036

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free