As partisan polarization has increased over the past decades, so has affective polarization in the mass public. People increasingly dislike their partisan opponents and hold negative stereotypes about their character and motivations. According to prominent theories of partisan identity, these negative stereotypes are merely rationalizations that serve to justify partisan discrimination and intolerance. However, an alternative explanation is that these stereotypes are largely accurate reflections of the increasingly clear ideological and value-based differences between the parties. I put these competing views to test in two studies and find support for the latter view – partisan stereotypes seem to reflect the parties’ values. CONT.
Scott Clifford (U. of Houston), Political Behavior