Cross Cutting Pressures and the Emergence of Political Identity in 2016

• In Event: Political Behavior in a Networked World

Abstract

We examine the impact of cross cutting pressures on first time voters in the election of 2016. Specifically, we study a cohort of college students that come from largely white, Midwest, working class families. These students were situated in local (college) environments that were largely supporting Hillary Clinton, while coming from family backgrounds that were largely supporting Donald Trump. We examine the relative importance of those two sets of ties with respect to vote choice and party identity. We compare to similar data we collected for the elections of 2008 and 2012.

Authors

• David Lazer

• Michael Neblo, Ohio State University

• Brian Rubineau, Cornell University

• Katherine Ognyanova, Northeastern University

• William Minozzi, Ohio State University