Affective polarization and social cohesion
Social cohesion is an important prerequisite for the health of democracies. In this chapter, we consider how political norms of competition in democratic settings can become detrimental to societies afflicted by affective polarization by deteriorating social trust and tolerance and increasing social...
| Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | book part |
| Status: | Published version |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) |
| Repository: | Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:recercat.cat:10230/71604 |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10230/71604 http://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781035310609.00040 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Affective polarization Out-party hostility Social trust Social discrimination Social norms |
| Summary: | Social cohesion is an important prerequisite for the health of democracies. In this chapter, we consider how political norms of competition in democratic settings can become detrimental to societies afflicted by affective polarization by deteriorating social trust and tolerance and increasing social discrimination. We theorize that the deterioration of social cohesion will follow as partisan identities become ever more relevant criteria in people's social categorization of themselves and others, thereby strengthening political norms of competition and potentially overpowering social norms of cooperation. We discuss the theoretical foundations of this argument, provide some empirical evidence of the underlying mechanism using data from five countries, and identify some limitations and avenues for future research. |
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