The Nature of Partisan Conflict in Public Opinion: Asymmetric or Symmetric?

Date01 January 2021
Published date01 January 2021
DOI10.1177/1532673X20961022
Subject MatterArticles
https://doi.org/10.1177/1532673X20961022
American Politics Research
2021, Vol. 49(1) 46 –58
© The Author(s) 2020
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/1532673X20961022
journals.sagepub.com/home/apr
Article
Introduction: Partisan Conflict on
Steroids
In recent years, political scientists and observers have wor-
ried about partisan polarization and conflict that grip
American society and government. This conflict is starkly
visible among political leaders, hampering representation
and governing, and creating gridlock on a number of
national problems (see Binder, 2014; Brownstein, 2007;
Mann & Ornstein, 2012, 2016; McCarty, 2007; Fiorina &
Abrams, 2009). This extends to the level of public opinion:
there have been sharp increases in partisan differences in
opinions—partisan divergence1—on a wide range of politi-
cal issues. What is stunning is that this has occurred fully
across economic, racial, socio-cultural, and national secu-
rity and foreign policy issues (e.g., see Abramowitz, 2010,
2018; Bafumi & Shapiro, 2009; Layman et al., 2006; Pew
Research Center, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017; Shapiro, 2016).
That greater disagreement that has occurred suggests that
more Republicans have taken conservative positions on
policy issues, while more Democrats have taken liberal
positions.
The claim that Republicans are to blame for the increas-
ing gap between the parties on policy issues is testable (on
the leadership level, see Grossman & Hopkins, 2016; Mann
& Ornstein, 2012, 2016). We examine this empirical claim
with respect to public opinion by first, investigating whether
partisan divergence in public opinion has occurred sym-
metrically—with members of both parties moving in oppo-
site directions—or asymmetrically, with one party’s opinion
moving, while the other remaining unchanged. In addition,
and as intra party ethno-racial diversity has increased, we
investigate whether the symmetric and asymmetric patterns
in public opinion found at the aggregate level, are also
prevalent when looking across specific ethno-racial groups.
Specifically, we look at the way partisan conflict has
evolved over time within the Hispanic, Black and white
partisans, as well as whites with and particularly without a
college degree (often referred to as the white working
class), Donald Trump’s and the Republican Party’s core
base voters, who have been the sources of support as well
for their conservative policies, especially as ostensibly
related to white identity politics (see Sides et al., 2018).
Is Partisan Conflict Symmetric or
Asymmetric?
When exploring the nature of partisan conflict in the public,
referred to here as partisan divergence, the image that comes
to mind is that of Republican and Democrat opinion moving
in opposite directions in a symmetric pattern on any given
policy issue. For example, Democratic opinion becoming
961022APRXXX10.1177/1532673X20961022American Politics ResearchLasala Blanco et al.
research-article2020
1Arizona State University, Tempe, USA
2Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
3UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Corresponding Author:
Maria Narayani Lasala Blanco, Arizona State University, 975 S Myrtle Ave,
Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
Email: MN.Lasala.Blanco@asu.edu
The Nature of Partisan Conflict in Public
Opinion: Asymmetric or Symmetric?
Maria Narayani Lasala Blanco1, Robert Y. Shapiro2,
and Joy Wilke3
Abstract
What are the dynamics of partisan conflict in the mass public in the United States? Has this conflict been driven by Republicans
moving to the right across a wide range of issues, or have Democrats contributed to this as well? Have these changes been
symmetric, occurring for both sides, or asymmetric, occurring for just one side? Understanding how the partisan gaps have
widened may shed light on potential prospects for reversing extreme political conflict in public opinion. This paper examines
this question with an analysis of opinion trend data over the last 40 years. It includes an original analysis of these trends
among racial and ethnic groups. We find that symmetric partisan changes have only occurred among whites. Overall partisan
differences have been less for Blacks and Hispanics than for whites.
Keywords
partisan conflict, public opinion, polarization among Latinos and Blacks

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT