Spatial Demography of Political Polarization in the United States 1980-2020

• In Event: 40821 - Community and Urban Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 13. Placing Politics

Abstract

For the past decades, the United States has witnessed a continuing growth of political polarization that spans across the political system, interpersonal affection, public opinion, as well as its geography. This paper studies the spatial demography of political polarization at the state and the county levels using presidential election outcome and population data of race and ethnicity, age, and urbanization. Results suggest a growing dispersion of political climates across geography, which couples with the increasing and persistent racial and ethnic segregation. We also find the rising correlations between the political climate of a place and its demographic compositions. Regression and simulation models further decompose and quantify the growing share of political dispersion that could be explained by population structures and their association with political climates. The paper shows that polarization is not only political, but also spatial and demographic, revealing the intertwined relationship between segregation across various demographics and political polarization.

Author

• Peng Huang, University of Georgia