Political polarization

Political polarization (spelled polarisation in British English, African and Caribbean English, and New Zealand English) is the divergence of political attitudes away from the center, towards ideological extremes.[1][2][3] Scholars distinguish between ideological polarization (differences between the policy positions) and affective polarization (an emotional dislike and distrust of political out-groups).[4]

Most discussions of polarization in political science consider polarization in the context of political parties and democratic systems of government. In two-party systems, political polarization usually embodies the tension of its binary political ideologies and partisan identities.[1][2][3][5][6][7] However, some political scientists assert that contemporary polarization depends less on policy differences on a left and right scale but increasingly on other divisions such as religious against secular, nationalist against globalist, traditional against modern, or rural against urban.[8] Polarization is associated with the process of politicization.[9]

  1. ^ a b DiMaggio, Paul; Evans, John; Bryson, Bethany (1 November 1996). "Have American's Social Attitudes Become More Polarized?" (PDF). American Journal of Sociology. 102 (3): 690–755. doi:10.1086/230995. S2CID 144020785. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  2. ^ a b Baldassarri, Delia; Gelman, Andrew (1 September 2008). "Partisans without Constraint: Political Polarization and Trends in American Public Opinion". American Journal of Sociology. 114 (2): 408–446. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.69.255. doi:10.1086/590649. S2CID 222436264.
  3. ^ a b Fiorina, Morris P.; Abrams, Samuel J. (1 June 2008). "Political Polarization in the American Public". Annual Review of Political Science. 11 (1): 563–588. doi:10.1146/annurev.polisci.11.053106.153836.
  4. ^ Iyengar, Shanto; Lelkes, Yphtach; Levendusky, Matthew; Malhotra, Neil; Westwood, Sean J. (2019). "The Origins and Consequences of Affective Polarization in the United States". Annual Review of Political Science. 22 (1): 129–146. doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-051117-073034. ISSN 1094-2939. S2CID 102523958.
  5. ^ Abramowitz, Alan I.; Saunders, Kyle L. (27 March 2008). "Is Polarization a Myth?". The Journal of Politics. 70 (2): 542. doi:10.1017/S0022381608080493. S2CID 44020272.
  6. ^ Bafumi, Joseph; Shapiro, Robert Y. (27 January 2009). "A New Partisan Voter" (PDF). The Journal of Politics. 71 (1): 1. doi:10.1017/S0022381608090014. S2CID 154400302.
  7. ^ Segovia-Martin, Jose; Rivero, Oscar (29 May 2024). "Cross-border political competition". PLOS ONE. 19 (5): e0297731. Bibcode:2024PLoSO..1997731S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0297731. PMC 11135741. PMID 38809861.
  8. ^ McCoy, Jennifer; Rahman, Tahmina; Somer, Murat (January 2018). "Polarization and the Global Crisis of Democracy: Common Patterns, Dynamics, and Pernicious Consequences for Democratic Polities". American Behavioral Scientist. 62 (1): 16–42. doi:10.1177/0002764218759576. ISSN 0002-7642.
  9. ^ Chinn, Sedona; Hart, P. Sol; Soroka, Stuart (February 2020). "Politicization and Polarization in Climate Change News Content, 1985-2017". Science Communication. 42 (1): 119–125. doi:10.1177/1075547019900290. S2CID 212781410.