Premium
When Partisan Identification and Economic Evaluations Conflict: A Closer Look at Conflicted Partisans in the United States
Author(s) -
Geus Roosmarijn A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
social science quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1540-6237
pISSN - 0038-4941
DOI - 10.1111/ssqu.12662
Subject(s) - identification (biology) , voting , turnout , political science , recession , voting behavior , state (computer science) , differential (mechanical device) , social psychology , political economy , demographic economics , economics , psychology , politics , law , botany , engineering , algorithm , computer science , keynesian economics , biology , aerospace engineering
Objective Most partisan voters in the United States hold biased perceptions of the state of the national economy. Comparatively little is known, however, about voters who hold economic evaluations that conflict with their partisan identification. Methods I use the American National Election Studies from 1980 to 2016 to conduct over time regression analyses of the identity and behavior of conflicted partisans. Results The share of conflicted partisans is substantial, especially during economic recessions. Conflict is associated with weak levels of party identification, higher levels of nonvoting, and lower levels of in‐party voting. Conclusion A closer look at conflicted partisans suggests that partisan bias in economic judgments fluctuates over time and varies among party affiliates. The study further shows that conflict between party affiliation and economic judgments is associated with differential voting and turnout patterns among party identifiers.