Priming Norms to Combat Affective Polarization
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6341135 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kevin J Mullinix (0000-0001-7922-8822, Political Science, University of Kansas College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Lawrence, KS, USA, corresponding author), Trent J Lythgoe (0000-0002-9612-8548, University of Kansas), Trent Lythgoe (Political Science, University of Kansas College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Lawrence, KS, USA) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 76 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 186-199 |
| Publication date | 2023-03-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Research Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1065-9129 • E-ISSN: 1938-274X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/10659129211073319 |
| OpenAlex | W4220708603 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 40 |
The American public has affectively polarized such that partisans increasingly dislike the “other side,” and this may have deleterious consequences for a representative democracy. Yet, efforts to reduce partisan hostility arrive at mixed results. We propose a new approach that involves strategically priming civic norms with language tailored to a target audience. We argue that emphasizing group-based civic norms that invoke an “obligation to others” can reduce out-party animus. We test this approach on an important subgroup: U.S. military service members. Like the broader American public, service members have unfavorable feelings toward the opposing party, and these feelings appear to have become more negative in recent years. We use a survey experiment to demonstrate that priming an obligation to others civic norm attenuates affective polarization. Our study advances public opinion research on an understudied subgroup of the population, but more importantly, the theoretical argument has implications for addressing polarization and partisan discord among the mass public and other subgroups
Argument (complex analysis · Democracy · Feeling · Norm (philosophy · Obligation · Polarization (electrochemistry · Political science · Politics · Population · Priming (agriculture · Public opinion · Public relations · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology
Predictors of partisan strength and in-party affect
We Need to Talk
The Public’s Constraint of Undemocratic Elites
Priming common European and democratic values does not reduce affective polarization
Longitudinal Associations Between Perceived Inclusivity Norms and Opinion Polarization in Adolescence
Public Health Communication Approaches for Building Common Ground
Trends in Political Science Research
The role of norms as promoters of social change
Soldiers and Civilians
Competing Motives in the Partisan Mind
To Vote or Not to Vote
The Effect of Social Norm Activation on the Expression of Opinions Concerning Gay Men and Blacks
The Evolution of Social Norms
The Disappearing Center
Our Army
Case Studies and Causal Inference
Changing Racial Beliefs by Providing Consensus Information
The Nature of Citizenship in the United States and Great Britain
Accountability and complexity of thought
Attention and weight in person perception
The rise of negative partisanship and the nationalization of U.S. elections in the 21st century
The soldier and the state
The Parties in Our Heads
Polarization in the American Public
Americans, Not Partisans
When Duty Calls, Do Citizens Answer
The Limits of Partisan Prejudice
Affective Polarization or Partisan Disdain
What Do We Measure When We Measure Affective Polarization
When Efforts to Depolarize the Electorate Fail
Citizenship Norms and the Expansion of Political Participation
Civic Duty and Political Preference Formation
The Strengthening of Partisan Affect
How Ideology Fuels Affective Polarization
Information Equivalence in Survey Experiments
Fear and Loathing across Party Lines
The Economic Consequences of Partisanship in a Polarized Era
Motivated Skepticism in the Evaluation of Political Beliefs
Social norms and the expression and suppression of prejudice
A focus theory of normative conduct
American Patriotism, National Identity, and Political Involvement
Reducing intergroup prejudice and conflict using the media
Affect, Not Ideology
Politicization of the United States Military
Wearing Politics on Their Sleeves
Political Partisanship and the Military Ethic in America
| Citations per year | 2.67 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |