(Mis)estimating Affective Polarization

When people evaluate rival parties, they think of those groups' most extreme ideological positions.

“As Druckman et al. (2022) demonstrate, when people evaluate rival parties, they think of those groups' most extreme ideological positions.”

Which party target people are evaluating matters for affective polarization measurement.

“Which one people are evaluating matters (Druckman et al., 2022;Druckman & Levendusky, 2019).”

In the Druckman et al. (2022) experiment, the Moderate condition generated more positive affect toward the other party than the control condition.

“For ideology, we find that the Moderate condition generates more positive affect toward the other party, while the Ideologue condition is not significantly different from the control, suggesting that people envision”

In Druckman et al. (2022), typical (modal) partisans were identified as moderates who occasionally discuss politics.

“In this same study, we identified who”

In the Druckman et al. (2022) experiment, the Ideologue condition was not significantly different from the control condition.

“For ideology, we find that the Moderate condition generates more positive affect toward the other party, while the Ideologue condition is not significantly different from the control, suggesting that people envision”

More recent attempts to reduce intergroup hostility-and affective polarization-include correcting myths and misperceptions about a rival group.

“More recent attempts to reduce intergroup hostility-and, in particular, affective polarization-include correcting myths and misperceptions about a rival group (Druckman et al., 2022).”

The analysis in Druckman et al. (2022) suggests that people assume out-partisans talk about politics more frequently than in-partisans, which explains the difference between the effects on out- and in-party supporters.

“The analysis in Druckman et al. (2022) suggests the reason for this difference between the effects on out-and in-party supporters is that people assume out-partisans talk about politics more frequently than in-partisans.”

Many people are amenable to having their misperceptions of the other side corrected, which lowers affective polarization.

“Many people, it seems, are amenable to having their misperceptions of the other side corrected, which lowers affective polarization150,153,154.”

Partisans might represent their adversaries as more obstructionist, more ideologically extreme, more prejudiced against the in-group, or more violent than they actually are.

“Partisans might also represent their adversaries as more obstructionist95, more ideologically extreme122,151–153, more prejudiced against the in-group55, or more violent154 than they actually are.”