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Cited by 1,881Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationMedia Influence and PoliticsPolitical Theory and Democracy

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 97 of the 97 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Political Polarization in the American Public

Fiorina, Morris P., Abrams, Samuel J.·2008·Annual Review of Political Science
DOI 10.1146/annurev.polisci.11.053106.153836
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Abstract

For more than two decades political scientists have discussed rising elite polarization in the United States, but the study of mass polarization did not receive comparable attention until fairly recently. This article surveys the literature on mass polarization. It begins with a discussion of the concept of polarization, then moves to a critical consideration of different kinds of evidence that have been used to study polarization, concluding that much of the evidence presents problems of inference that render conclusions problematic. The most direct evidence—citizens' positions on public policy issues—shows little or no indication of increased mass polarization over the past two to three decades. Party sorting—an increased correlation between policy views and partisan identification—clearly has occurred, although the extent has sometimes been exaggerated. Geographic polarization—the hypothesized tendency of like-minded people to cluster together—remains an open question. To date, there is no conclusive evidence that elite polarization has stimulated voters to polarize, on the one hand, or withdraw from politics, on the other.

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Research works printed but not linked: 41

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Metadata

Authors
Fiorina, M. P., & Abrams, S. J.
Affiliations
  • Stanford University (US)
  • Harvard University (US)
Venue
Annual Review of Political Science
Publisher
Annual Reviews
Published
2008-06-01
Volume
11
Issue
1
Pages
563-588
ISSN
  • 1094-2939 (ISSN-L)
  • 1545-1577
DOI
10.1146/annurev.polisci.11.053106.153836
OpenAlex
W2137029365
Semantic Scholar
d77391948f4ae487ef3c22ad48cf579f6a7fcd61
Cited by
1,798
References
90
Citations by year
2026: 83 · 2025: 149 · 2024: 172 · 2023: 175 · 2022: 140 · 2021: 191 · 2020: 185 · 2019: 194 · 2018: 119 · 2017: 88 · 2016: 80 · 2015: 65 · 2014: 59 · 2013: 31 · 2012: 25
FWCI
31.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Annual Review of Political Science (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Electoral Systems and Political Participation
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Media Influence and Politics
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Political Theory and Democracy
Keywords
mass polarization, elite polarization, public opinion, party identification, policy positions, voter turnout, political attitudes

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