Premium
Affective Consistency and Sorting
Author(s) -
Davis Nicholas T.,
Klar Samara,
Weber Christopher R.
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.12695
Subject(s) - consistency (knowledge bases) , ideology , social psychology , affect (linguistics) , polarization (electrochemistry) , sorting , salient , psychology , convergence (economics) , politics , elite , national election , attractiveness , political science , cognitive psychology , economics , computer science , communication , artificial intelligence , chemistry , psychoanalysis , law , programming language , economic growth
Objective Sorting is often portrayed as a mechanistic response to elite polarization: individuals recognize salient differences between the parties and match their preferences accordingly. Much less is known, however, about the psychological and motivational processes that contribute to it. In particular, how might affective reactions to elites shape convergence among political preferences? Method To explore the relationship between the consistency of self‐reported affect and sorting, we analyze cross‐sectional and panel data from the American National Election Studies. Results On balance, we find that negative emotions directed toward the opposing party candidate and positive emotions toward one's own party candidate are associated with an increase in the alignment of ideological and partisan preferences. Conclusion These findings illustrate how affect contributes to consistency in mass opinion.