Ideological identity, issue-based ideology and bipolar affective polarization in multiparty systems

In multiparty contexts, we know that affective polarization tends to cluster in ideological blocs, although the factors driving this process are still quite unexplored. In this paper, we contribute to filling this gap in the literature by exploring the capacity of ideological identity vis-à-vis issu...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Comellas Bonsfills, Josep Maria|||0000-0002-9577-0555, Torcal, Mariano
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:282807
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/282807
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2023.102615
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Affective polarization
Ideological identity
Issue-based ideology
Southern Europe
Latin America
Descripción
Sumario:In multiparty contexts, we know that affective polarization tends to cluster in ideological blocs, although the factors driving this process are still quite unexplored. In this paper, we contribute to filling this gap in the literature by exploring the capacity of ideological identity vis-à-vis issue-based ideology to polarize sentiments towards party voters into two opposing left-right blocs. Specifically, we provide empirical evidence that affective attachments to ideological labels increase the affective distance between ideological blocs to a greater extent than issue extremity and issue consistency. These bipolarizing effects of ideological identity persist even when the identity is inconsistent with issue-based ideology. Additionally, we show that bipolar affective polarization exerts little reverse influence on ideological identity. We support these arguments using an original survey from the TRI-POL project carried out in five multiparty systems: Argentina, Chile, Italy, Portugal and Spain.