Political polarization

For the social psychology concept, see Group 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.