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Tribalism in America: Behavioral Experiments on Affective Polarization in the Trump Era

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2020

Sam Whitt Open the ORCID record for Sam Whitt [Opens in a new window] ,
Alixandra B. Yanus ,
Brian McDonald ,
John Graeber ,
Mark Setzler ,
Gordon Ballingrud  and
Martin Kifer
Sam Whitt*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, High Point University, One University Parkway, High Point, NC27268, USA
Alixandra B. Yanus
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, High Point University, One University Parkway, High Point, NC27268, USA
Brian McDonald
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, High Point University, One University Parkway, High Point, NC27268, USA
John Graeber
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, High Point University, One University Parkway, High Point, NC27268, USA
Mark Setzler
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, High Point University, One University Parkway, High Point, NC27268, USA
Gordon Ballingrud
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, High Point University, One University Parkway, High Point, NC27268, USA
Martin Kifer
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, High Point University, One University Parkway, High Point, NC27268, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: swhitt@highpoint.edu
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Abstract

Our research speaks to the ongoing debate over the extent and severity of partisan political divisions in American society. We employ behavioral experiments to probe for affective polarization using dictator, trust, and public goods games with party identification treatments. We find that subjects who identify politically with the Democratic or Republican Party and ideologically as liberals and conservatives display stronger affective biases than politically unaffiliated and ideological moderates. Partisan subjects are less altruistic, less trusting, and less likely to contribute to a mutually beneficial public good when paired with members of the opposing party. Compared to other behavioral studies, our research suggests increasing levels of affective polarization in the way Americans relate to one another politically, bordering on the entrenched divisions one commonly sees in conflict or post-conflict societies. To overcome affective polarization, our research points to inter-group contact as a mechanism for increasing trust and bridging political divides.

Keywords

Affective polarizationpartisanshipparty identificationideologyUnited Statesbehavioral experimentintergroup contact
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Experimental Political Science , Volume 8 , Issue 3 , Winter 2021 , pp. 247 - 259
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Experimental Research Section of the American Political Science Association

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