Who Dislikes Whom? Affective Polarization between Pairs of Parties in Western Democracies

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of political science 2023-07, Vol.53 (3), p.997-1015
Main Authors: Gidron, Noam, Adams, James, Horne, Will
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coalition governments
Coalitions
Democracy
Disputes
Elections
Elites
Hostility
Ideology
Multiparty system
Polarization
Political parties
Political science
Radicalism
Two-party systems
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0007-1234
1469-2112
DOI:10.1017/S0007123422000394