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Emotions and Affective Polarization: How Enthusiasm and Anxiety About Presidential Candidates Affect Interparty Attitudes.
- Source :
-
American Politics Research . Mar2020, Vol. 48 Issue 2, p308-316. 9p. - Publication Year :
- 2020
-
Abstract
- In the context of an increasingly divided populace, this article considered how the emotions (enthusiasm and anxiety) partisans feel toward U.S. presidential candidates may heighten or diminish affective polarization. In Study 1 (American National Election Studies [ANES] 2008–2009 panel data), we found that enthusiasm for the in-group candidate and anxiety about the out-group candidate were related to higher levels of affective polarization, whereas enthusiasm for the out-group candidate was related to lower levels of affective polarization. In Study 2 (2016 panel data), we found that in-group enthusiasm was related to higher levels of affective polarization and out-group enthusiasm was related to lower levels of affective polarization, but neither in-group nor out-group anxiety was significantly related to affective polarization. These findings highlight that enthusiasm about out-group candidates may have a unique ability to disrupt affective polarization and that it is important to consider the source of an emotion response, not just the type of emotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1532673X
- Volume :
- 48
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- American Politics Research
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 141474614
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1532673X19891423