Is Affective Polarization Bad? Yes, But Only If We Accept A Particular Conception of Democracy and Citizenship

• In Event: Polarization: Symptoms and Solutions

Brief Overview

We analyze the widespread claim that affective polarization is bad. We argue that most assumptions about why it is bad do not hold up to serious empirical scrutiny, but we offer a novel story helping to explain our strong convictions that it is bad.

Authors

• Benjamin Miller, University of Illinois

• Jane Betchley, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

• Larissa Migotto, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign