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Patterns of Affective Polarization toward Parties and Leaders across the Democratic World
[journal article]
Abstract Research indicates that affective polarization pervades contemporary democracies worldwide. Although some studies identify party leaders as polarizing agents, affective polarization has been predominantly conceptualized as a product of in-/out-party feelings. This study compares levels of party affe... view more
Research indicates that affective polarization pervades contemporary democracies worldwide. Although some studies identify party leaders as polarizing agents, affective polarization has been predominantly conceptualized as a product of in-/out-party feelings. This study compares levels of party affective polarization (PAP) and leader affective polarization (LAP) cross-nationally, using data from the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems. Applying like–dislike scales and an identical index to both concepts, we reveal that while the two strongly correlate, LAP is systematically lower than PAP. The United States emerges as an exceptional case, being the only country where LAP significantly exceeds PAP. Drawing on regime input/output and institutions as theoretical building blocks, we explore cross-national variations and show that the relative strength of LAP vis-à-vis PAP is increased by presidential regime type, poor government performance, and low party system fragmentation. The findings of this study contribute to the thriving research on affective polarization and personalization of politics.... view less
Keywords
United States of America; democracy; polarization; international comparison; political leadership; party; personalization; multi-party system; two-party system; parliamentarism; presidential system
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
party affective polarization; leader affective polarizaion; democratic world; Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES)
Document language
English
Publication Year
2023
Page/Pages
p. 1-17
Journal
American Political Science Review (2023) First View
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055423000485
ISSN
0003-0554
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed