Partisan Hostility in America: When It Matters and When It Doesn’t

Growing hostility between Democrats and Republicans is of great concern to scholars and citizens alike. Political scientists have very little understanding, though, of when, why, or how this partisan hostility influences opinions and policies themselves. With a panel data set spanning over two years—throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests, and Biden’s election to the presidency—we investigate the conditions under which partisan hostility affects policy views. We find that when politicians politicize an issue, Americans who are affectively polarized follow elite cues and express extreme views. But when issues are not explicitly politicized by elites, even the most bipartisan agreement prevails among even the most polarized citizens. This work provides a detailed understanding of how affective polarization shapes opinions.