The Polarizing Effects of Online Partisan Criticism

Evidence from Two Experiments

Bibliographic Data

ID12977508
AuthorsElizabeth Suhay (0000-0003-1976-8573, American University, corresponding author), Emily Bello-Pardo (American University), Brianna Maurer (American University)
Year2017
Volume23
Issue1
Pages95-115
Publication date2017-11-29
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe International Journal of Press/Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1940-1612 • E-ISSN: 1040-1620
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1940161217740697
OpenAlexW2770361132
LanguageEN
Citations received73
References cited45

Affective and social political polarization—a dislike of political opponents and a desire to avoid their company—are increasingly salient and pervasive features of politics in many Western democracies, particularly the United States. One contributor to these related phenomena may be increasing exposure to online political disagreements in which ordinary citizens criticize, and sometimes explicitly demean, opponents. This article presents two experimental studies that assessed whether U.S. partisans’ attitudes became more prejudiced in favor of the in-party after exposure to online partisan criticism. In the first study, we draw on an online convenience sample to establish that partisan criticism that derogates political opponents increases affective polarization. In the second, we replicate these findings with a quasi-representative sample and extend the pattern of findings to social polarization. We conclude that online partisan criticism likely has contributed to rising affective and social polarization in recent years between Democrats and Republicans in the United States, and perhaps between partisan and ideological group members in other developed democracies as well. We close by discussing the troubling implications of these findings in light of continuing attempts by autocratic regimes and other actors to influence democratic elections via false identities on social media

Autocracy · Criticism · Democracy · Economics · Ideology · Polarization (electrochemistry · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Salient · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Law · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology

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