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Delving into the divide

How Ideological Differences Fuel Out-Party Hostility in a Multi-Party Context

Bibliographic Data

ID6261163
AuthorsPatrick F A Van Erkel (0000-0002-9235-7706, University of Antwerp, corresponding author), Emma Turkenburg (0000-0002-8332-7820, KU Leuven)
Year2022
Volume14
Issue3
Pages386-402
Publication date2022-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Political Science Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1755-7739 • E-ISSN: 1755-7747
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1755773922000121
OpenAlexW4225162678
LanguageEN
Citations received19
References cited41

This study investigates to what extent affective polarization, and more specifically hostility towards opposing party supporters, finds its roots in ideological differences. We look into the way out-groups are constructed when there are more than two political parties, and at the role of ideology in this process. Hereby we position ourselves in the discussion between those who argue that affective polarization finds its root more strongly in group attachments vs. those who argue that it is mostly rooted in ideological differences. We conduct our study in the context of the highly fragmented multi-party system of Belgium which enables us to analytically disentangle party label cues from ideological distance. Our findings demonstrate that affective polarization is largely rooted in ideological differences between party electorates in Belgium. Additionally, we find that this particularly holds for citizens who are more ideologically invested, namely those with higher political interest and more extreme ideological views

Context (archaeology · Hostility · Ideology · Polarization (electrochemistry · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · History · Law · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology

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Unique citing works19
Citations per year4,75
Citation span2022 - 2026 (5)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 19
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