Who Doesn’t Love a Good Fight? The Opposite Effects of Elite Polarization on Independents and Partisans

• In Event: Political Participation

Brief Overview

In a large survey experiment, exposure to high (compared to low) elite polarization reduced political interest and turnout intentions among political independents. We observed an opposite effect (smaller and less robust) among partisans.

Authors

• Pierce David Ekstrom, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• Christina E. Farhart, Carleton College