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Who Dislikes Whom? Affective Polarization between Pairs of Parties in Western Democracies
[journal article]
Abstract While dislike of opposing parties, that is, affective polarization, is a defining feature of contemporary politics, research on this topic largely centers on the United States. We introduce an approach that analyzes affective polarization between pairs of parties, bridging the US two-party system an... view more
While dislike of opposing parties, that is, affective polarization, is a defining feature of contemporary politics, research on this topic largely centers on the United States. We introduce an approach that analyzes affective polarization between pairs of parties, bridging the US two-party system and multiparty systems in other democracies. Analyzing survey data from twenty Western democracies since the mid-1990s, first, we show that partisans' dislike of out-parties is linked to elite policy disagreements on economic issues and, increasingly over time, also to cultural issues. Secondly, we argue and empirically demonstrate that governing coalition partners in parliamentary democracies display much warmer feelings toward each other than we would expect based on elite policy (dis)agreements. Third, we show that radical right parties are disliked much more intensely than we would expect based on policy disputes and coalition arrangements. These findings highlight the policy-based and institutional underpinnings of affective polarization.... view less
Keywords
polarization; ideology; coalition; right-wing radicalism; party; Western world; democracy
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
electoral institutions; CSES - Comparative Study of Electoral Systems
Document language
English
Publication Year
2023
Page/Pages
p. 997-1015
Journal
British Journal of Political Science, 53 (2023) 3
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123422000394
ISSN
1469-2112
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed