Who Are Leaners? How True Independents Differ from the Weakest Partisans and Why It Matters
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13057747 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Samara Klar (0000-0003-4863-9949, University of Arizona, corresponding author), Yanna Krupnikov (0000-0002-4708-0074, Stony Brook University), John Barry Ryan (0000-0002-5446-6442, Stony Brook University) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 147-159 |
| Publication date | 2022-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Forum (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2194-6183 • E-ISSN: 1540-8884 |
| Publisher | De Gruyter (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1515/for-2022-2048 |
| OpenAlex | W4283211074 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 11 |
Independents who lean toward a party constitute a plurality of Americans. Despite their reluctance to identify as partisans, scholars find that “leaners” look much like partisans with respect to their voting behavior, civic engagement, and policy preferences. Yet, existing literature does not consider the possibility that different factors lead Democrats and Republicans to opt for an independent label. We consider heterogeneity in what leads people to report that they are “leaners” and we identify important partisan differences. By introducing a novel survey measure administered on a large adult sample, we identify both the motivation for, and consequence of, identifying as a leaner. Our results reveal that modern-day Republican leaners are largely motivated by a dissatisfaction with their own party. They are ideologically more moderate and are subsequently less willing to support their party’s candidate. Democratic leaners, on the other hand, appear satisfied with their party’s ideology and candidates, but nevertheless value an independent label. Our work suggests that partisan identification is both expressive and politically contextual. Our study provides an important step in identifying distinct motivations and electoral consequences within this large and growing segment of Americans
Democracy · Identification (biology · Ideology · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Voting · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Psychology · Social and Cultural Dynamics · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 10 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,5 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 10 |