1. Polarization and the Mass Response: The Growth of Independence in American Politics.
- Author
-
Keele, Luke and Stimson, James A.
- Subjects
- *
POLARIZATION (Social sciences) , *POLITICAL autonomy , *PARTISANSHIP ,UNITED States politics & government - Abstract
Many scholars characterize elite politics as polarized, with party loyalty in Congress at levels not seen in 50 years. What is much less clear is whether mass opinion has followed the polarized path of elite politics. While we expect mass opinion to recognize elite polarization, we might also expect a change in partisan response. But the direction of the change is much less clear. Mass opinion may respond by becoming more partisan. Instead, it may respond by moving toward greater independence. Using aggregate identification data, we assess whether mass opinion has followed elite behavior over the last fifty years. We find that polarization, particularly on issues of race, has pushed greater numbers of citizens to identify themselves as Independents. Curiously, however, the growth of claimed independence is accompanied by a decline in the numbers claiming complete independence of party. Since the independent leaners behave much like regular partisans, we observe a more partisan electorate in the face of growing claims of independence. A more partisan electorate should be less responsive to the relatively objective performance indicators such as presidential approval and economic expectations. We find that this is the case. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2005