Year: 2022
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: American localities have become increasingly politically homogenous (Bishop & Cushing, 2008), with affective polarization, a form of animosity between political groups, concurrently on the rise (Iyengar et al., 2019). We hypothesized that individuals living in areas with greater exposure to out-partisans will report lower levels of affective polarization. In Study 1, 2016 ANES respondents (N = 2355) living in counties with more out-partisans averaged lower levels of party-directed affective polarization, controlling for partisan, policy, and demographic factors. In Study 2 (N = 362 via Prolific), similar analyses revealed that American partisans with more cross-party exposure in their counties and precincts reported lower levels of social distance from out-party members and greater perceived cross-party contact, but not significantly lower voter-directed affective polarization. Perceived cross-party contact mediated the relationship between cross-party exposure and affective polarization, highlighting the intersection of place and psychology in understanding this societal challenge.
Authors: Adam Herschel Smiley, cheryl kaiser
Institutions: Belmont University, University of Washington
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Reduced inequalities
Open Access status: green
Funder: National Science Foundation
OpenAlex ID: W4311850785