Yanna Krupnikov and John B. Ryan. The Other Divide

The divide between Democrats and Republicans (i.e., the main divide) may be the more popular topic for journalists, write Yanna Krupnikov and John B. Ryan, but the divide between the deeply involved and everyone else (i.e., the other divide) “is key to understanding modern American politics” (p. 3). The deeply involved are “those people who make politics a central part of their lives” (pp. 1–2) and are more formally conceptualized based on three characteristics: “spending time on politics, believing in the importance of political events, and engaging in expression related to politics” (p. 59). The deeply involved are not representative of the American electorate. They report higher levels, and different types, of affective polarization. They prioritize different issues. They are more certain about their policy positions. Their levels of internal efficacy are higher. They have different childhood and college experiences. They have different social networks. Their views about parenting are different. They evaluate those who post about politics on social media more positively. They tend to be more extreme in their partisan attachment and ideology. They are more educated. They are more likely to be men. They are more likely to answer political knowledge questions correctly. They vote at higher rates.

Disengagement theory · Ideology · Media studies · Polarization (electrochemistry) · Political science · Politics · Politics of the United States · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Studies · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology · Gerontology

• Post-Broadcast Democracy

  Open Access•Markus Prior•Post-Broadcast Democracy•2007

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